Oops!

I don't have a link to Above Rubies. Well, it's encouragement for Christian mothers around the world and you can visit their site at www.aboverubies.org.

Rain, Rain go away...faster

Well, we spent most of the day under a layer of clouds. Some were heavy at times and there was thunder and lightning. We need the rain. And I am encouraged that cooler weather is marching in, yea! I remember being so afraid of thunderstorms as a child that I would hide under my brother's bed and sleep there at times. The only one of my children that's timid about storms is Max and he's nowhere near what I was. I think the dog doesn't like storms...especially loud thunder.

The older kids went to the dentist today and passed with flying colors. No cavities! The good news--they're saying Jamie is not going to need braces for spacing. We might want to correct his bite in a couple of years. We'll probably do that, but I've got a couple of years. Just when Celeste starts driving...Oh wait, she gets her permit next July/August. That's only 7-8 months away! Actually, I'll be glad that she can help me with errands and I won't have to pick her up everywhere. I might miss that, too, though.

December is quickly approaching...only 2 more days. I love the Christmas season, but I don't like the craziness of it. Jamie and Celeste will be visiting in St. Louis over Christmas for 2 weeks. I don't like these years...they make me sad. BUT I'm going to try not to react that way this year. I've got 3 cute little boys here and we'll have a jumble of fun. I think we'll do some baking together. They would love that! We might go to Sarasota, too. I just don't know yet.

I'm so excited!! I got my Above Rubies magazine in the mail today--I actually received two! Check out my link...and have a Terrific Tuesday!!

And so another holiday comes to an end...

Well, our four day vacation is almost over. I'm thinking about doing the home school schedule when Celeste informs me that I've got to take her and Jamie to the dentist for a cleaning tomorrow. I sure am glad someone knows what's going on! I forgot. Nothing new for a mommy of 5. I think I will settle in for a little couch time with my hubby. There's been a Bond-a-thon running on Spike network. We kind of like the stuff blowing up movies!

I am going to try to slow the pace of this Christmas season. I don't know if it'll work. I want to focus on Christ more than the commercial aspects of it. Hey, I really haven't even started Christmas shopping yet. And I'm still debating on that tree thing--ya know, the 15 month old? I am currently reading Humility by C.J. Mahaney. You can find it at www.monergism.com. He is one of the leaders of Sovereign Grace Ministries. I belong to a Sovereign Grace Church. God has given C.J. much wisdom. I would do well to follow his lessons on humility, especially during this holiday season. Have a peaceful night!

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

I know it's been a couple of days since the big event, but it has taken me this long to have the time to sit down and tell you about it. We had 5 families from our church get together. We met at our church property. There were 26 of us with 15 children and 11 adults. The food was great! I especially liked: Chris Spencer's homemade apple pie (wow!) and turkey, Lettie's mashed potatoes, Charity's yummy carrots, and Jenn Beck's sweet potato casserole. I'm stuffed just thinking about it. I was exhausted after running around with Tommy during the afternoon...life with a little toddler is fun and interesting. I try to remind myself that this time will slip away before I know it. I am sure it was much easier when I was 24 (with Celeste)! Speaking of Celeste, there are a couple pics of her in the bunch I will post with this--look for the cute 14 year-old. I hope your Thanksgiving was just as blessed as mine!

Now we are really looking forward to Christmas! Celeste and I hung lights on the front porch and I think they look spectacular. I'll have to blog some pics, too! Enjoy this blessed season!

Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is just 2 days away. I better get busy on the menu items I'm responsible for! I was just thinking about what I am thankful for. Here's a few:

~crunchy little baby diaper bottoms...and toes
~my husband
~all of my children...Celeste, Jamie, Danny, Max, and Tommy
~the beautiful "new" home I live in
~my suburban
~Jesus' sacrifice for ME and YOU
~today's colder weather :)
~my church
~all of my church friends (Hi Charity and Lettie!)
~the fact that I live in the USA and I can home school my children
~my older brother (who took good care of me when I needed it)
~my younger brother, Jamie (I don't see him near enough)
~my parents
~Stu's parents :)

That's all for the moment. Take some time to think about what you're thankful for and share it over your Thanksgiving dinner. Many blessings!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:16-18

Bible tip of the "day"

Have you ever read the book of Colossians? It's quite short at only four chapters. Chapter 3 was quite an eye opener. It gives instructions as to how we are to live and deal with one another. I will not quote them here because I want you to go dig your bible out and read it for yourself. Let's just say they are simply stated. That's why we depend on the grace of God to lead us in applying them. Now go get your bible...go on now.....you heard me!

Let's go for a walk

Over the past 2+ months I have started exercising. I see it as an issue of health. I want to be healthy whenever we are blessed with another pregnancy and I want to be around to experience my grandchildren and beyond. I know I need to lose weight, but I thought I would first start with the fitness thing. (It's kind of hard to think about losing weight when you're hoping to get pregnant.) I have been using Leslie Sansone's walking program. She has 1 mile, 2 mile, and a 3 mile walk on DVD and VHS. It uses hand weights, too. I usually do the 1 mile b/c the 2 mile kicks my butt. Also, I have been taking walks in the neighborhood with my boys during the morning. It's about 1.3 miles on the loop that I do. I have been very consistent in doing this at least 3 times per week--sometimes as much as 5 times per week. Haven't lost any weight yet, but I have been sleeping very well.

Any ideas to combat the late night snack attack? Many nights around 10:30 or so you can find us eating sushi, chips & salsa, or ice cream. If I stopped that, maybe I would lose weight, lol! Or how about snack ideas that are healthy.

Meanwhile I will trust God to take care of me and direct my ways...especially in how to care for my body, His temple.

Great Day!

Today is a great day. Why? Well, I always liked Wednesdays...they're just, well, encouraging. We're halfway through the week and it's all downhill from here. Also, Wednesday night is the only night we don't have something going on during the week. There's nowhere to rush to, yea!
Also, I am going to get a pedicure this afternoon. I've been waiting to do it for 3 months. After last week, I decided to take a little "mommy time" every week. It will make me a better mother. This is what I need. I tend to take care of others needs first.

We are planning a very exciting Thanksgiving dinner with some friends from church. We're going to have at least 4 families, so far. My Dad and brother, Jamie, are in Costa Rica until early December, so I thought we'd do this. I enjoy the fellowship. I can't believe it's this time of year already. It's been a fast year. We've almost been in our "new" home for 1 year (Dec. 11th will be a year). It's been wonderful and hard all at the same time...take a few minutes to reflect on the past year. What has God taught you this year? How have you grown? What might you do for next year to cultivate your relationship with Jesus more? I am thinking on these things.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Yea!

Check out my new banner, woo-hoo! Kudos go out to Becky Perry who collaborated with me and did the design! You can reach her at joyfulmother@gmail.com if you'd like to have her work with your blog, too. Thanks Becky!

Just a "quiet" day here. Everyone voted for chicken and rice tonight. It's a favorite around here now. Here's the recipe:

1 rotisserie chicken from Publix
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk
brown rice

Rip up the chicken and place it over the cooked brown rice. Season if desired. Combine soup and milk and pour it over chicken and rice. Bake at 350 degrees for half an hour. Yummy!

Celeste has 180 tonight. That's youth group for 7-12th grade. They've been talking about biblical friendship. Many adults could take a lesson in this! Parents are encouraged to attend with their teens. I may go this evening just for a break from home. It's fun to hang out with those wacky teens!

Hey, I'm supposed to get my hair high-lighted on Thursday. Since I am growing it out and I don't want it to look too damaged, what do you think about me coloring more to my natural color? Or should I just let it go natural...getting more gray every day!

His mercies are new every morning!

Challie's giveaway

I receive mail from a Christian website and they are having a free giveaway. To enter you can use the following information: go to www.challies.com and look for the November giveaway!

They are a great resource. I heard about a deal on a trugrip bible. It's a very small ESV version and it's great for keeping in the car. I use it for reference all the time and it even has a small concordance in the back!

Pics from smore night

Here are some pictures from smore night for you to enjoy!

Slumber Party!

You know what was fun when you were a kid? Having a friend or friends overnight. Celeste is at a slumber bday party this evening. Jamie is having two friends who are brothers overnight tonight as well. I look forward to playing games (mostly playstation) and movies. Oh, and don't forget the junk food! I bought ice cream and we could do smores again tonight.

So why don't you invite your best buddies over and have a spend the night? Come on, really!! As adults we should at least kick back and enjoy each other every now and again. I hope you have a super Saturday night! I know I will, even if it is with a bunch of preteen boys!

Happy Friday!

Here comes the weekend...we took off from home schooling today due to Veteran's Day. We all went and ran errands. I got a new belt for the vacuum cleaner and we'll see if it works, yea! This afternoon Celeste is babysitting for the Beck's little girl, Hannah. We rented Herbie Fully Loaded, so tonight we'll make it a family night and have pizza, a movie, and Stu promised the boys smores. Tomorrow we have no plans, although Stu has to go in to work for a bit (as usual--just thankful he has a good job!). Sunday we have church, we're going to a baptism, and I have a baby shower, too! Busy Sunday :).

I'm currently working on adding neat little things to my blog, so be on the lookout for that. I added my picture, but it was fuzzy, so I have to work on that this weekend. Hope everyone's weekend is fantabulous! Here's a song on my heart and my lips today:

Lord I lift your name on high
Lord I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us

You came from heaven to earth to show the way
From the earth to the cross my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high!

Pure Joy

Today was one of those days that I'd rather forget. At least the first 2/3 of it anyway! As adults it is important that we show patience and have self control. I did a very good job of that today except for the fact that it was like a bomb went of silently inside of me. Not good! Just a lot to take care of and things just seem to keep going wrong. Here's a silly list:

-LARGE repair on "new" suburban
-a vacuum cleaner that doesn't clean despite several attempts to fix it
-a stereo receiver that doesn't work anymore (no more jazz during dinner)
-my son broke the cdrom on our computer today (last year he killed the whole computer)
-bickering children
-a cooler with yucky water dumped over in the back of my truck...now it stinks!

Anyway, moms just need time to themselves now and again. I haven't gotten enough of that recently, thus the implosion. But God, as usual, is merciful. He gave me this verse:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:2-5

This is interesting!

You have the Reynolds girl look. Reynolds girls had
the typical British beauty. The eighteenth
century British portrait painters would have
been attracted by your brilliant complexion and
your classical features. Sir Joshua Reynolds
loved to paint girls like you in white dresses
with blue satin sashes. Reynolds and other
portrait painters of his time also portrayed
blue eyed, dark-haired girls, and golden-haired
ones too, plus the occasional red-head. The
following painters would have painted you; Sir
Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence.

'Pretty As A Picture' - Which Artist Would Paint You?
brought to you by

Such is Life

I write to you while the baby is crying from his johnny jump up. So this will be quick. Yes, I haven't posted in awhile. I have been ill for the last several days with some sort of flu thing. 2 of my sons had it, but theirs was much more short-lived. I'm having "fun" trying to juggle everything in my life right now.

It is very important to me to have something to look forward to. What am I looking forward to in the next couple of months?

-Thanksgiving...maybe
-My anniversary on the 6th of December
-Beacon Hill closing so we don't have to worry about money
-The AGCC Christmas Party in Dec.--My favorite, a night out with my hubby!!!!
-Christmas, BUT I really hate when the older kids are gone to St. Louis :(

Ask yourself what you look forward to...but always remember to stand on God's promises!