simple living....with a dash of chaos

New Blog

2011-11-15T14:59:00.001-06:00

I am very excited to start picking up blogging again! This time with more focus and inspiration.

Please rejoin the new blog for I will no longer be posting in this one. Thank you friends!

http://lifesavored.blogspot.com/

Unity

2011-10-09T12:53:00.001-06:00

This post is creative meets inspiration. I just recently gave my living room a little facelift. One of my favorite things is my imperfect simple unity sign that I obviously freehanded (BTW my computer just informed me that freehanded is not a word, is it suppose to be two???) What makes the unity come to life are the pictures of the precious little people and one hunk of a man below it. In our family we strive for unity, working together in harmony for one common goal. Sometimes just working together in harmony is challenge enough forget the common goal! I feel like I am playing the role of a referee 80% of the time in my house. I have thrown out so many red flags on the field that sometimes it feels like we will never finish the game. My little wall is a reminder of a focus/vision I have for my family. No matter how crazy, loud, argumentative we can be it all comes back to having unity with each other. This sign reminds me to lower my voice and seek out ways to help our family unite.

Focus

2011-10-07T23:36:00.002-06:00

First, I have to admit I am a tad jealous of blogger moms. I have had so many intentions in the past of developing this hard core, rockin', knock your toe socks off blog that has 2000 followers in the first week..... really! Why? To be famous, to want people to envy my life??? Absolutely!!!!! But not only that, I really want to inspire others, in a BIG way. Sometimes just wiping bums, refereeing the kids and cleaning their battle wounds just isn't enough. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade those sweet lil wedgie pickers for anything or the blessed job I have of taking care of them. But I feel the pain of most moms: under-appreciated, under-acknowledged, underpaid..........we might as well rename ourselves Under Mom (ya know like underdog) okay, that was lame. But honestly, it would feel really nice to inspire others no matter how: to be a better mom, a better wife, give someone the confidence to craft or try a new meal and of course the ultimate, encourage someone to walk closer to Christ!

I have been experiencing some really great spiritual growth lately, I just broke down a very frustrating wall and am very excited about some fresh growth. Something that keeps knocking me over the head right now is VISION and FOCUS. These two words mean so much to me because I feel like they are what I have been lacking to go deeper. I am a VERY distracted person, it's really ridiculous! I need FOCUS! But before I can focus first need a vision. So that is where I am, going through the process of the vision for my life.

Just like I need vision and focus spiritually, I also need it for my personal life. I have always enjoyed writing in my blog and yes I can easily get caught up in impressing instead of inspiring. But I hope to change the course of time and be able to inspire others while creating a blog that someday my children will cherish.

I look at this opportunity as a fresh start. Not only as a blogger but as a person. Look forward to some inspiration in the areas of: yummy food; DIY projects; homemade gift ideas; homeschooling; parenting and some really mushy stories about my sugar bear and our three lil punkins.

btw.....I am thinking of a new name for my blog, should be posted soon.

a normal glimpse

2011-07-12T13:32:00.000-06:00

It's a normal day here. At the moment I hear my washer and dryer working away to get today's quota met. Ava is peacefully asleep in her LOCKED bedroom, wonder what she was doing that made her lock the door? Zeke is in his crib crying and fighting with all he has not to take a nap. Luke and his friend Stihl are in the living room giggling as they play the xbox, which has came in handy on extremely hot days like today. I am in the play/school room drinking my afternoon cup of coffee and dreaming of typing these entries on a new Mac someday. Nothing special, just a glimpse into our everyday lives.

Honey, I'm home

2011-04-16T21:27:00.002-06:00

We moved into our new home this week. I am more amazed at how moving into a new home has inspired me in many ways. It makes me want to cook healthier, stay on top of the laundry, spend more quality time with my family, decorate more thrifty, start taking more pictures, thank God more, and start blogging again. I feel exhausted and refreshed at the same time.

The first day here it was pretty chilly outside so the kids stayed in and played hide and go seek for hours, discovering all the new hiding spots available to them.....I unpacked. The second day was so fun waking up to our normal routine, except this time I taught the kids how to pick up after themselves and start brushing their teeth TWICE a day.......I unpacked. New surroundings call for new rules and they were excited about every new rule I gave them, we will see how long that last.

One of my favorite things about this house is the outside. It has a great front and back porch, compared to what I have come from anyways. I LOVE being outside in the spring. The windows have been open and fresh air has been rolling in reviving my soul. I know the southern heat is just around the corner so I want to take in as much fresh air as possible before I start begging for the AC. Our 5 acres includes a cute little red barn and a small creek that runs through it during the wet season. I think we will get out and play in the creek tomorrow and maybe take some fun pictures.......after I unpack.

I feel truly blessed right now. I know that we still have plans to build in the future but right now I am asking God to keep me as content as I am right now. I am at such a happy and content place, I truly need or desire nothing more at this moment. But I know that in a few weeks, months, years the new will wear off and I will be looking and searching for something else to give me this feeling of completeness (is that even a word?) But I will be praying earnestly that I will not seek fulfillment in the things of this world but only in Him will I find it......as I unpack (physically & spiritually).

pot of chicken pie

2011-02-04T21:40:00.001-06:00

I made an amazing chicken pot pie tonight, posted it on facebook and was asked to blog it. I got it from a new recipe book that I highly recommend (picture below). This is the second time so I made some personal adjustments and it turned out perfect. The crust is the best homemade crust EVER, very flakey, I didn't change the tripe for it at all. The crust is a freezer crust, the author explains that the freezer is what gives it it's flakiness.......I like it because I can make a bunch ahead of time and have them on hand ready to go at anytime.

Perfect Pie Crust:
(this makes two generous portions)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups of vegetable shortening
1egg, lightly beaten
5 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon distiller white vinegar

Combine flour and salt in large bowl; add the shortening. Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles (this should take 3-4 minutes);add lightly beaten egg and cold water; stir the mixture together until it's just combined; remove half the dough and place in a gallon plastic freezer bag and slightly flatten with a rolling pin (this makes it much easier to roll for later). After flattening seal the bag tightly and store in freezer. When you are ready to use the crust, remove from freezer and slightly thaw (about 20 minutes) before rolling out.

Chicken Pot Pie

3 celery stalks
3 medium carrots
1 large onion
1/2 stick of butter
Carton of fresh sliced mushrooms
1.65 lbs (they sell it at walmart this way) cooked of chicken breast cut into bit size pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups of chicken broth (I use water & chicken base with a little extra base for a richer flavor)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon of ground thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 recipe Perfect Pie Crust

Finely dice the celery, carrots, and onions; saute in butter with mushrooms until translucent, a couple minutes; add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine. Cook for a couple minutes stirring gently. Pour in the chicken broth stirring constantly; pour in the cream and stir. Allow mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture in a deep pie pan or small casserole dish. Roll out pie crust, add to top and pierce with fork (I cooked and baked it all in my Dutch oven) bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and then let set 10 minutes before digging in. You can assemble this all before hand and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. Enjoy! It is sooooooo Yummy!

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my revived sewing skills

2011-01-19T08:58:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of Christmas gifts I made, I can finally post them since both recipients have received them. I made the apron for a very special friend of mine, Kayla. And the potholders for my hardcore sister-n-love and dear friend, Sarah. Both these girls are so dear to me. They are both so incredibly selfless.....thank you girls for your influence in my life! I love you girls so much! As for the gifts they are made from some really cool Amy Butler fabric that I have had stored away for over a year and the patterns came completely out of my head. I have no idea how to read a pattern, plus it takes out the most fun part, creating;) I was thrilled with both. If you look very close you will see LOTS of flaws but that makes it rustic, right? And rustic is in;)

2011

2011-01-04T08:53:00.001-06:00

New Years Resolutions.....blah, blah, blah. To me resolutions are only a list of things I want to change but never have the discipline to follow through. I have really never been much on resolutions, it just doesn't work with my personality. I do believe its a great concept when used by the right person. This year I have decided for myself that rather than changing anything this year I would like to embrace things. Focusing on the good and making it better. For example....I could easily get discouraged with my weight but if I embrace this beautiful temple that God has blessed me with and be ever so grateful for my health than I think I will naturally start taking better care of myself. If instead of giving myself a list of things I want to do with the kids this year I decide to just embrace motherhood and be grateful for the three beautiful children that God has placed in my hands, I will naturally be more present and nurturing towards them which is what they need much more than a list of things to do. It all goes back to being aware and grateful for all the blessings that God has given me and truly embracing them. Something that is HUGE to me that I have somehow lost a grip on over the years is the blessing in having a Saviour. I have somehow quit embracing the beauty of the cross and what that means to me and my family. I am brought back to me knees thinking of the mighty love God has for us. My purpose is being renewed while I am seeking Him. I hope this year His love is overflowing out of me and touching others around me. I want to reflect His glory and Love. I want a selfless faith, I want to invest in the life of others, I want for Him to literally live through me and use me as His vessel. I only get one life to live and I don't want to live it in vain.

Oh God, I have become a self-serving, prideful sinner, forgive me.......I offer this body to you God, use it as you intended! Help me to embrace.....health, motherhood, marriage, family, relationships, discipleship, and YOU! Thank you for your grace and mercy.

the daily sword fight....

2010-12-23T10:08:00.002-06:00

mystery shopper

2010-12-20T20:31:00.000-06:00

Someone has been trying on my heels in front of the mirror and it wasn't me:)

(I don't think it was Rod, Luke or Zeke either......hmmmm)

new traditions

2010-12-17T21:48:00.004-06:00

I am so excited to say that I started two new traditions this year. I LOVE traditions and have a couple that I have always done since little bitty, but starting my own is way fun also! This year I signed my family (minus Rod, he had to work) up to ring the bell for salvation army in front of our local market. The idea is genius and was brought to me by one of my favorite bloggers. I called our local salvation army and asked if we could ring the bell for 30 min. (knowing that 30 minutes in the cold with 3 young children would be pretty challenging to begin with) The reply I got was , "well, I guess thirty minutes is better than nothing" exactly what I was thinking;) So we bundled up to check in with a man that seemed to be pleased at our arrival. We sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at least 100 times because sadly that's the only carol I could think of that we could just repeat the chorus over and over. Most people were very pleasant and thought that the children were adorable and seemed pleased to see some very joyful young faces wishing them a Merry Christmas. But a couple others looked at me like I was nuts for dragging my kids out and the cold, in fact I had two people tell me that it was to cold to be doing this with a snarl on their faces.....my reply "We wish you a Merry Christmas." The kids did great. My sweet cousin Cecilia (aka Sis) came to help and was able to take Zeke and Ava in during the last 10 minutes while Luke and I continued our caroling. I felt good to give our time to a good cause and look forward to doing it again next year.

The next tradition involves Sis, aprons, and Me-Maw's chex-mix recipe. Sis and I are both big fans of Me-Maw's chex-mix and we haven't had any since she past away. So we decided we should just make it ourselves. We had fun in the kitchen together and there was something special about making something that someone we both loved very much use to make every Christmas. It turned out good but not quite as good as Me-Maw's, it probably never will. Sis just shared with us that her babe is going to be a girl! So as we were cooking away I kept imagining us and our two girls in the kitchen carrying on Me-Maw's tradition and it was such a precious thought that I teared up. We were able to turn the mix into gifts for loved ones and enjoyed the creative aspect. You can never go wrong with Mason jars, ribbon, and paper. I hope the people that receive them feel the love that goes into a homemade gift. What a fun day!

cookie exchange 2010

2010-12-14T09:18:00.001-06:00

Last night was the annual cookie exchange that I have been attending for the past (4 years, I think). This cookie exchange is a tad more elaborate than others in my opinion but fun as long as you have the time and the creative energy to prepare. I always find the need to impress when going to this one but I don't mind that pressure because I enjoy the challenge every once in a while. The Chocolate Mint Cookies I made were very yummy and I would recommend them. The texture is wonderful, a gooey melt in your mouth chocolate cookie topped with an andes mint. You could easily replace the andes mint for chocolate frosting and have a heavenly chocolate cookie. After baking the cookies is where I need to dig deep for some creativity. I have to come up with a way to bag 3 cookies for each attendee to take home with them. I could have just thrown them in a zip lock bag but what's the fun in that. I thought my "bagging" was simple and cute this year.....I really wanted to tag them but time didn't allow. We also have an ornament exchange, the gift wrapping mimics the idea I blogged about a couple weeks ago, you can find the tutorial here.

To end on a very cute and fun idea.....a hat made from an old sweater! This took me a whole five minutes and $3 to do. Thank you Cara for the idea. I really enjoyed our day creating together, I wish I would have taken a picture of Caleb's pom-pom hat also.

just a DIY kinda saturday

2010-12-11T17:19:00.000-06:00

I had a wonderful Saturday hanging out with two of my favorite lil' peps. We played guess who, blew on each others tummies, baked, and did a lot of crafting ..........here's the evidence:

old pillow turned shabby chic

old black beaten coffee table got a fresh new look

canvas + paint = cheap art

my lil 'martha' frosting some goods

my starter pile of fabric....mostly amy butler fabric!

neither of us stayed inside the lines today.....love her little stained body parts

my handsome hunk got to hang out in his pj's all day

ears + eyes + heart =

2010-12-10T10:31:00.002-06:00

I have started formally instilling character qualities in the children. This weeks trait is Attentiveness. I am very proud of the little drawing I came up with to help them visually understand the definition of attentive ( I had to look online to figure out how to draw an ear.) The kids seemed to be bored with it but with repetition I think they will soon adapt, especially if I bribe them with rewards for memorizing their verse and showing signs of being attentive. This is just a tool I am using to teach but the real battle is living this out in my own life so that my kids have that example to follow. I never realized until this week how inattentive I am. Think about it.......listening with your ears, eyes, and heart. I seem to listen with my ears or eyes only and very rarely my heart and then I expect them to be perfectly attentive at all times........really Juleah???? I have a lot to work on. Homeschooling so far has taught me how inadequate I am and how much I need God's help.

the beat goes on......

2010-12-08T22:03:00.001-06:00

Bare with me........my thoughts are scattered as I try to work through this new post. I have completely failed my expectations of blogging. I am a blogging backslider.... and I have full intentions of redeeming myself! I guess the reality is that I would rather be reading others blogs than writing my own. I have to remind myself that my reason for blogging is:

1) that my children will some day be able to read their history and the every day moments around this chaotic home in hopes that I can preserve these precious memories that will all to soon be forgotten.

2) that the way God is choosing to work through me will somehow be an inspiration to others.

2) that those ~~lil' ankle bitters~~ precious gems will know how incredibly ~~difficult~~ joyful it was to raise ~~loud and disruly~~ obedient and compliant children.

3) that I can fool my followers into thinking that we are the perfect family and I am an amazing mom that just stays at home and bakes, crafts, and plays endlessly with my sweet angels beside me while we sing hymns and pray for the poverished.

These are just a few reasons I blog and the cycle just keeps going. Thank you for the faint few who have endured my horrible grammar and that has shown an interest in what goes on in this heart of mine. Let the journey continue........

my next dyi project

2010-11-22T08:30:00.002-06:00

I love this idea. I am really into rosettes this season by the way, I have a growing collection of rosette shirts, scarfs, hats, pins, etc. So when I ran across this Christmas packaging idea I fell in love. Oh, the picture of the beautiful hurricane vase idea is attached to the fabulous rosettes picture and I can's seem to remove it so its included too and has nothing to do with this post.

Rolled Book Page Roses

Materials needed:

Book pages

Pencil

Glue gun

Embellishments (glitter, glue)

You want to start with a square shape. Start with three book pages and stack them on top of each other. Using a pencil, draw a spiral circle onto the square. Cut out following the pencil line from outward of page to the inner spiral. (You will have a small circle at the end- this will be used at the end to secure rose with glue). You will have a long paper snake – start rolling from the outside of the spiral roll and roll inward in somewhat of a cone shape…start rolling tightly then loose to get the desired rose edges. Keep rolling until you get to the end. You will want to put a dab of hot glue on the back to hold its shape. Then, dab again the leftover circle flap and hold against bottom of rose. This finishes the back of rose. Then, brush on glue and dip or sprinkle on glitter as to your liking. Attach to the package with hot glue.

funniest, easiest, best craft ever

2010-10-20T13:43:00.002-06:00

I whipped these adorable and stylish hair pins out in no time. They are so fun...don't you think?? All you do is cut out some felt circles, burn the edges (I used a tea candle), sew a bead in the middle and hot glue on a bobby pin......

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crafty cakes

2010-10-13T20:16:00.001-06:00

This past weekend I was co-host of a baby shower for a precious young mom at church. I also have a sweet 3 year old princess fixing to turn 4 who wants a tea party for her birthday. So, while I was at hobby lobby last week I walked past one of those free idea booklets that caught my eye. It was an incredible idea for a gorgeous cupcake stand. You know what I am thinking........"kill two birds with one stone" 'light to candles with one flame" "feed two cats with one bowl". I tapped into my creative side that has been dormant and was pretty rusty. But as soon as I got the hot glue gun plugged in and the scissors in hand the creative juices started flowing. The end product was something I was quite happy with:

freaky milk

2010-10-01T21:05:00.001-06:00

This is what I just pumped!!!! I was a tad freaked out about it but found out that it is common to have blood in your breastmilk. Who Knew?

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words of truth

2010-09-28T20:15:00.000-06:00

The following was written by my favorite blogger who also homeschools her children. I felt as though she was writing this through the eyes of my own life.......every word seems so connected to my life:

I am impatient. I don’t have the fortitude to stick with tasks like I should. I am weak and undisciplined and lack the courage of my convictions. I talk about self-control but don’t have very much. I teach my girls to treat people with kindness but then I lack compassion with my own family. I am a hypocrite and a real honest to goodness sinner. I struggle with contentment and then get angry with them for their discontent. I see in them my own sins and failures and then withhold mercy when they need it most.

This task of teaching my children has broken me.

They see through all my charades.

I can’t hide myself from them.

And this intimacy has exposed every frail part of me. The selfishness. The lies. All my broken dreams. Even the weakness of my faith.

They don’t see a shiny perfect vessel. They see the real me, the shattered pieces of a life undone.

Self-sufficiency is being put to death in my life. I must learn to lean on Another.

And yet……

……miraculously, they love me unconditionally. They applaud at my meager attempts to be a ‘joyous mother of children’. They forgive me so easily and still say that I’m their best mom. Despite my faults, they somehow see through to the Treasure. They glimpse the beauty of a life broken and spilled out for another. It’s as if they see me through the light of His cross. In a million unspoken words, they know. They know and are thankful. That in my frailty, He is strong.

http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/

field-trip friday

2010-09-17T14:41:00.001-06:00

Today we toured our local bakery and the kids got to decorate some yummy cupcakes.

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Brotherly Love

2010-09-05T23:02:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite things right now is watching Zeke smile and laugh at his big brother. When he hears Luke's voice he will almost give himself whiplash. There is just something so darn cute about brothers. Luke is the best brother. He seems to be very in tune to Zeke's needs and will sometimes get on to me if I let Zeke cry for too long. I feel like I could let Luke babysit Zeke while I run a few errands. I might give it a trial run tomorrow to see what happens;)

Of course he loves his sister too but his reaction to Luke is much more dramatic. The last picture I threw in was Zeke all dresses up for church. He just looked way to cute to not show him off;)

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Fun Friday

2010-08-20T15:50:00.000-06:00

Today was our first field trip with friends. We went to our local pet store, which I had never visited before and I was pleasantly surprised. What I didn't expect was being a sucker for all the cute lil' furry animals in there. So guess what we have........

everyone meet Darth Vader Wilson aka Mr. Wilson. Two of Luke's favorite movies are Star Wars and Denice the Menace, hence the name. He is pretty darn cute if I say so myself. I really, really, wanted a Chinchilla but they are much more $$$. But Mr. Wilson has already found a place in my heart. Here are a couple more pictures of our day.

homeschool trial run

2010-08-16T18:28:00.001-06:00

I planned on starting school next Monday when our actual "school room" was ready, but I have all my books in and am getting a little impatient so we had a trial run today and I am proud to report it was a success! I am looking forward to being able to teach my children not only academics but life skills and character traits. They seemed to really enjoy it but I had to remind myself that their attention span is much shorter than mine, which isn't much to begin.

We started off the morning doing a devotion with Rod before he took off for work, this is something we have been doing for a couple weeks and love it. I am so glad that Rod gets to help me with spiritual teaching and discipline, I think it is so important for the kids to see him in that leadership role. After we did our devotion we started on copy work and reading. About 45 minutes later we dismissed to do chores aka life skills. They learned to work together to unload and load the dishwasher and then transferred the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Luke found money in the washer which was a bonus. We played a game of trouble for our math lesson for the end of school. It was a good introduction of what is to come.

I look forward to breaking out the math curriculum (I LOVE math)! The math curriculum I got teaches a completely different way than the public school systems teach, which means a different way than I learned. So I will be relearning math with my kids but I am extremely excited about this new approach (new to me). Did I mention that our reading curriculum is completely different than the public school's also? The school system must be really jacked up or my kids are going to be;) Our approach; no multiplication tables, finger counting, sight words, or BOB books.

We will be doing a nature study once a week that I am highly anticipating. The kids and I really enjoy being outdoors so I can't wait to see what all we discover and learn about God's creation. Science and sketching/art are part of the nature study.

I downloaded a CD of Beethoven to teach the kids music appreciation. We did ballet all around the house, it was fun for about 10 minutes and than I had to switch to some Jack Johnson, I must appreciate his music more.

I hope to write more in detail about my curriculum choices in the future. It is not from one source but a modgepog from everywhere, custom designed to fit our family.

I will leave with this Chinese proverb, “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”

yummy 4th of july sugar stars

2010-07-09T09:03:00.000-06:00

what's on your bookshelf?

2010-06-29T01:02:00.000-06:00

I got a new app for my iPhone that makes blogging from my phone a breeze. Trying it out with this entry for the 1st time. I am falling in love with apple products! Have I mentioned my love affair with my ipad? It is hot! Anywho......I wanted to share all the great books I am reading. First of all I am not much of a reader so for me to have four books going on is just nuts! But I have been craving some knowledge lately, I just want to soak up all kinds of wisdom.

Let's start off with "The Hiding Place" Corrie Ten Boom. A story about an AMAZING christian family that risked their lives to hide away the Jews during the Holocaust. Corrie was the only one in her family to survive to declare how Gods love can overcome and restore. I would hate to think that someday I might have to choose my faith over life on earth but I pray that if that ever happens I will have the courage to stand. I am amazed at the innocent lives that had to live through that dreadful time.

Next up is my "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child" by Zander, Walton, & Rountree. A great go to book that gives you great info for natural & conventional treatments. It came in handy this week when all three of my babes and I got a head cold, accompanied by sore throats, yucky eyes, and stuffy noses. We tried to go the herbal route but at times slipped in the motrin for immediate relief. I love learning about alternative medicine though, I find it facinating and I truly believe in it.

Book three. "Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola. This is about Charlotte Mason's philosophy on education. I am super excited to dig into this. This is the approach I plan on using for homeschooling. It makes complete sense. I will elaborate on a different post after I research it more.

Last book, "Out of the Spin Cycle" by Jen Hatmaker. devotion for moms. I just started this and so far I have really enjoyed the way Jen mixes her great humor with the love and examples of Christ. It's a very lighthearted, feel good devotion. I have something fun planned for these. I ordered 10 to share with my favorite moms and hope to do a light informal study with them all by e-mail or forum. Super pumped to start this project. I will post back to share how it went.

Well, that's it! Along the side of reading I have been quite the homemaker. Cooking some fancy meals, making strawberry freezer jam and jalapeño jelly. I have put on 6 lbs this past month though:(

Here are great wishes to you for lots of learning, playing, and creating this summer!

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happy father's day

2010-06-20T18:23:00.001-06:00

In honor of today "father's day" I want to take the opportunity to praise the 3 most influential men in my life.

First, my dad. Smart and loving. I have always respected my dads level knowledge he has always been the one I go to with many questions. He is very intelligent. Aside from his intelligence he is very loving. He cares about people and has never turned down an opportunity to help someone in need, I love this quality about him.

Second, my husband, father of my children. I couldn't have dreamed of anyone better for this position. He is our provider and protector. I so appreciate the love that he has for all of us and the desire to excel in his duties. He makes sure we know that he adores us.

Last, my Abba. My families foundation, who all of our decisions are filtered through. He is our rock and ultimate protector. Our purpose for life. The God that loves beyond comprehension.

How can a selfish, sinful, wretched girl get so lucky? I am blessed beyond measure! Thank you to my boys! Ilove you all, Happy Father's Day!

wonderful statement billy graham

2010-05-20T05:59:00.000-06:00

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' Billy Graham

mountain man

2010-05-17T06:40:00.001-06:00

Luke went on his first "real" mountain bike ride yesterday! He was so pumped! He has been putting a lot of miles in on the road and through the front yard to prepare for this day. We showed up at the trail to meet up with some more riders and one of his best buddies (Seth) was there to ride with him. Not sure who had more fun, me or Luke;)

New Hair-DO

2010-05-17T06:28:00.001-06:00

comment problem fixed

2010-05-15T21:28:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine informed me that she could not comment on my post.... I have now fixed the problem.

what i love about my kids

2010-05-12T20:59:00.004-06:00

As mother's day just passed I am left thinking about how blessed I am to be the mother of my 3 precious children. God knew that no one could love them as much as I do. I am a proud mother of 3 beautiful and healthy children!!!! How cool is that? Here is what I love:

I love how Luke strives to make me happy. He is considerate and is always looking out for others. I love his interest in God and the organic faith he has in Jesus. I love his bible stories and his make believe stories. I love that he is FULL of enthusiasm. I love how he is always looking to have fun. I love how the huge smile planted on his face seems to capture the heart of strangers. I love the excitement he gets when he accomplishes a task he has set out to do. I love his prayers. I love how he humbles me when he reminds me of my poor attitude. I love that he still loves to snuggle me in the mornings. I even love it when he ask me to blow in his face so he can check my breath.

I love how Ava communicates. Her speech convinces everyone that she is the cutest thing that has ever walked on the face of the earth. And when she gets mad and drops her head and shoulders and sulks like a spoiled child, well I love that too. I love how she brings me weeds to put in water. I love it when she dresses in her princess dress, tiara, necklace, gloves, and high heel shoes and truly believes that she is a royal princess. I love how she stands her ground and knows what she wants. I love how she runs to her daddy first when she gets hurt. I love how she giggles at the silly books I read to her. I love how she shakes her booty and says "shake what your momma gave ya." I love the way she looks me in the eyes when she is in trouble, and how she knows it makes me lose all control and laugh.

I love my sweet baby Zeke. I love that he is my last child and that I am embracing every moment. I love how he settles with a ruffled cue right before I feed him. I love rocking him at 3am when everything is still and it is just me and him. I love how he is starting to follow me with those precious blue eyes. I love his first smiles. I love how he is trying to talk back to me. I love his funny faces and the funny things I say while he is making them.

I love how my kids love each other. I love how Luke and Ava look out for each other. I love how Luke tries to make Ava laugh when she is upset. I love how Ava serves Luke his water at lunch time. I love how Ava dresses up in her princess dress, a darth vader mask, and then sword fights with Luke. I love how Luke will take time to have a tea party with Ava. I love how they share a blanket in the morning on the couch. I love how they are learning to work out their problems. I love it when they whisper secrets to each other and then break out in laughter. I love how they love their new brother Zeke. I love how they beg to hold him and gets so excited when his eyes are open. I love how Ava wants to help change Zeke's diaper. I love how Luke will clean up Zeke's spit up. I love how Zeke is starting to smile at his siblings.

I love motherhood. I am guilty of complaining and getting frustrated. But I honestly love being a mother. I am so proud of my kids, they have filled me with so much joy, laughter, and meaning. I hope to embrace this gift and cherish it. It is so easy to see the bad, the exhausting, the inconvientent duties of motherhood. But I hope to focus on the beauty and joy that comes in this once in a lifetime moment. I want to have a positive influence on my children. I want them to grow up knowing that their momma loved caring for them. Thank you God for entrusting me with your children, thank you Rod for giving me the children we have, thank you kids for being you and allowing me to mess up completely and still love me!

need for change

2010-05-12T13:01:00.004-06:00

Here I am thinking of a new title for my blog AGAIN. I still don't feel like I have nailed it....maybe I never will. I am the type of person that seems to require constant change, which means that I have an obnoxious amount of clothes! I am always looking for something to excite me, I get a small high from change. Rather it be the clothes I wear, the music I listen to, the change in seasons, my hairstyle, the decor in my house, the friends I make,and even the title of my blog. So as you just read my need for change I want to see who can come up with the best new blog title for me. I know you girls love to give your opinions so send them to me.

zeke's arrival....papa's perspective

2010-04-20T06:38:00.002-06:00

My dad wrote a letter about how his day panned out when Zeke was born. I thought it was pretty cute so I wanted to post it so I would always have a record of it:

What a weekend!

It started Friday with a beautiful day of almost 70 degrees.

Saturday, a little cooler with a front moving in. Juleah started contractions and everyone headed to the hospital. I volunteered to watch the kids, ALONE! I think I would have rather went through labor for Juleah and had her watch the kids for two days.

Sunday, woke up with the largest snowfall I remember and four little feet jabbed into my body in several locations. Already 8" of snow on the ground and still snowing like crazy. Temps never got below 32 but snow stayed solid. It was so heavy it devastated trees like the last ice storm. Worst part was I kept losing my satellite. Then, about 6:30 that evening, the call.

I am the proud new grandfather of an 8 pound 11 1/2 ounce grandson named Zeke Andrew Brooks. I loaded the kids and went and got one of Rods 4WD vehicles and headed to the hospital about an hour away. Snow has built up to almost 12" and then finally quit snowing. Could care less about my satellite now. Roads were plowed earlier and clear. They say Zeke has my feet. I guess that is my best feature. What a heritage to leave behind.

Monday. Beautiful day again. Temps in the 60's. It is doing a lot to get rid of some of the snow, but it will take a few days of this to get it all. Only in Oklahoma can you go through a weekend with weather like this. Like they have always said, "If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, stay around a few hours, it will change". So true!

Love,

Doug

waiting and watching

2010-03-17T06:54:00.002-06:00

I feel the excitement and anticipation settling in on me......our family dynamics is about to change. I remember feeling this soon before Ava was born. I wondered how Luke was going to handle sharing his attention with another being. I savored those last few days with him as the baby and questioning how in the world could I love anyone else equally as him. Now as the time is approaching for baby #3 (1 week from due date) I find myself in the same spot. I spent the day yesterday just quietly observing my two wonderful children, watching them interact and care for one another. It was so precious and I wondered how I missed seeing this all along. I guess we get so caught up in life and things that need to be done that we miss those precious moments of innocence from our children. I received so much joy yesterday just being with them. Instead of finding it frustrated every time they came to ask for my help I found delight that they still needed me. Instead of getting annoyed every time they asked me for their favorite snack or treat (some sugar coated piece of junk) I gladly gave in and watched their faces light up in delight. When they came crying to me about the tiniest little scrap on their knee I treated it like the biggest boo-boo in the world and gave them all my love and motherly healing powers. I find myself hurrying through life, to often pushing my kids away to take care of themselves while I handle the "other" things that need my attention. And as I feel the time closing in when our next precious one hits the ground I hope to make these a habit and start enjoying and being fully with all my children. I am so proud of my family and have no excuse not to give them 100% of me all the time. "Other things" will just have to wait. I am fully occupied for at least the next 18 years. I can't wait to meet you little one and your daddy, brother, sister anxiously await your arrival also.

great love takes work

2010-02-28T23:48:00.003-06:00

We started a new series at church about 3 weeks ago on marriage and communication. I absolutely love times that Rod and I get to work on our relationship. I think we have a pretty great relationship to begin with but like anything else it takes work, time, and effort to make something extraordinary. We decided not long after we got married that we did not want to ever settle for a mediocre marriage. One of the best pieces of advice that we both got was during our marriage counseling before we exchanged vows, it was this: "divorce is not an option." So Rod and I married each other agreeing that divorce was absolutely never an option for us. I have to admit there have been times I have wondered "what the heck did I do," but have never contemplated the idea of divorce. We also knew that to have an extraordinary marriage we were going to have to work on it. We have always made sure that we go to at least one marriage conference/seminar a year and that we get some regular scheduled date nights. This helps us to reevaluate where we are in our relationship and were we want to be. So the past few weeks, through our church, we have been able to do just that. It came at a much needed time, because honestly we were starting to settle for mediocre. But we are now refocused and I can see the effort being put out by both of us to reignite that passion for a thriving relationship. We used to do "10 minute couch time," were we spent ten minutes everyday on the couch just snuggling and talking about whatever. One of the reasons we did it was for our kids, they would be playing and if they came up to talk to us we would run them off and tell them, "not now, it's mommy and daddy time" and this is suppose to give them a sense of security. It was wonderful but we got caught up and life and somewhere we stopped doing the 10 min couch time. Tonight, our pastor gave us a hand-out "31 days of communication" so this gave us a good reason to start couch time again. AFTER the kids were in bed we sat on the couch and talked about the first communication starter for day 1 which was, "what are some of your favorite memories from childhood?" We talked for an hour and both laughed and I cried as we recalled our childhood. I look so forward to tomorrow night. With all this said the point I am trying to make is that 1) I absolutely adore my husband and feel so blessed that I know he absolutely adores me too. 2) For us it takes work, it doesn't happen naturally, but takes effort on both parties to understand and appreciate one another.

Rod and I both have such a strong desire to inspire other couples and families. We both enjoy so many of the same activities such as wakeboarding, snowboarding, scuba diving, and mountain biking and consider these our areas of ministry. My hope and prayer is that God will use us in such a powerful way to minster to other families. We know without a doubt that God is the foundation of our marriage and any success that we have comes through Him.

my unexpected love for wrestling

2010-02-19T08:12:00.006-06:00

My 4 year old boy Luke has always been a "hands-on" boy. He has a very passionate spirit and is full of nothing but 100% boy. When you first meet him you will soon realize he is not your average 4 year old boy. He is a 4 year old trapped in a 6 year old body with all the athletic abilities of a 10 year old. He is very athletic, lean, cut, coordinated, and insanely handsome (maybe a little proud momma speaking). Since he could crawl his favorite thing to do was to crawl on top of you and hold you down and it just escalated from there. The older he got the more he loved rolling around on the floor, it became a nightly event at our house.

I remember being really excited about him starting his first sport. I LOVE sports and really anticipated the day that my child got to partake in one. His first sport was soccer that started last September and he of course excelled and was one of the top dogs on the team.

When soccer was over we really considered enrolling him in Karate but one of my friends informed me about wrestling. I was actually turned off by this sport. Nothing in me cared for the sport of wrestling, in fact it seemed a little "redneck" which I try very hard to stay away from being perceived as an okie redneck. But I went ahead and told my husband and we agreed to let him try one practice to see if it was something he really enjoyed. We went to the first practice here in town and Luke seemed to really enjoy it and many people seemed interested in his potential but we still were not convinced. It wasn't until the next week when we took him to a new coach who had an academy in Fort Smith, that was recommended by other wrestlers that we decided to stick with it. What's interesting is that it wasn't even about the sport so much at that point, we LOVED coach. We immediately recognized that this coach was in it to mentor/disciple young men. You can not have to many positive influences in your child's life and this man is someone I would want in Luke's life no matter if he was his coach or not. Coach Kincade has such a passion to see young men grow to be full of respect, integrity, character and to fear God. So this is why we wrestle, in hopes that Coach Kincade can influence Luke in this season of his life. What we didn't expect is for Luke to be such an exceptional wrestler and for us to fall in love with the sport.

We are your average proud parents in the first year of a sport. We have spent almost every Friday night in a hotel, camping out for Saturdays tournaments. So far Luke has been to 11 tournaments in 2 1/2 months and has wrestled 33 matches with 17 wins 16 losses, which is an awesome record for his first year, especially since he is 4 and most the kids he wrestles is 5, 6 & 7. He has placed in his last 3 tournaments.....4th, 3rd and his last tournament 1st!!!! What is so fun is to see Luke have a ball. He literally eats, sleeps, and breathes this sport. Everything he puts in his mouth,"will this make me strong"........when he goes to bed, "after my long nap is it time to wrestle"......and he is on the scale at least 5 times a day asking if he will make weight. The season is dwindling down, he only has 2 tournaments left which makes me sad. Soccer will start back up and than it will be summer (which summer makes me really happy). We will return to wrestling sometime in the Fall. But for now we still are a hardcore wrestling family that has developed a new love and respect for the sport.

Lent Season

2010-02-18T09:08:00.003-06:00

This is my first year to observe Lent. Before now I have never heard of or invested anytime on educating myself or my family about this fabulous season. I grew up in a traditional baptist church were I can not remember Lent, Ash Wednesday, or Good Friday getting any exposure. Easter has been the single main event and it's wonderful to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus that makes Him our promised one, but I can already see the importance on meditating on the suffering and preparation that Christ had to walk through weeks before the Crucifixion took place. I will use these next 40 days (39) to reflect on what Christ fully did because of His great love for me. If any of my followers are interested going through this I have a link I am going to attach that takes you through the season with a short devotion everyday. She also gives tips on what you can do with your kids to help them understand the season also. She is a huge inspiration to me as a mom and wife and I am very proud to know her. Her writings are being published for her local church in Oklahoma City to go through, so I trust that they are carefully reviewed.

http://fcol-1940.blogspot.com/

I just found this description on the importance of the Lent Season from another blog I follow. I wish I could claim it. I have found that writing is absolutely not my strong suite, so I depend on others. Please read this entry as an inspiration to acknowledge the Lent Season.

http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2010/02/the-season-of-lent-and-learning-from-my-father-2.html

making room for baby

2010-02-16T09:30:00.002-06:00

In preparation for our new addition we are having to scrunch together in our ever shrinking 1600 sf home. We went back and forth on how to make sleeping arrangements and decided that Luke, Ava, and all the toys in one room. Here is the final product. We really worried how they would fall asleep at bedtime but I immediately put the fear in them when I used the magical baby monitor. They thought I was some sort of god whenever they would whisper so softly and I would be right there with a spoon, threatening them to keep quite. Rod and I are both surprised that it has worked so well so far. I found the storage unit at Target and it has really helped keep all the toys organized and they had the perfect colors for the room, I was really pumped about this find. I will post pics of the nursery when we get it ready. Only 5 more weeks until my due date!!!

today's great quote

2010-02-16T09:22:00.002-06:00

"Having a smoking area in a restaurant is like having a pee area in a swimming pool" author unknown.

Love my NAKED!

2010-02-04T08:21:00.002-06:00

Many of you are familiar with the product "Naked Juice." Some might argue that the calories and sugar in these products are outrageous but I argue that it is a WHOLE FOOD which is something I have always aimed for in my families diets. I never really pay any attention to calories and fat. It's such a yummy treat, but can be pretty darn pricey, right??? Guess what? I have some very close friends that are Naked Juice distributors and from now on I get the product for free!!!!! I have a refrigerator full of pounds of fruit in a bottle! I am soooooo pumped!!!

***I haven't blogged in a while and have so much to blog about and pictures to share. I will be trying to get caught up in the next couple weeks. Can't wait to tell everyone about Luke the Warrior, he is a true wrestling machine, so fun!

perplexors

2009-12-28T08:04:00.002-06:00

I got a couple of Mindware perplexor workbooks in my stocking from Santa this year and every night as I lay in bed I get these mind bending books out to solve the problems. I really enjoy them, I have always enjoyed problem solving......algebra was my favorite subject:) So far I have been able to solve every problem but I am starting to get some perplexors thrown my way in real life that I have no idea how to answer. Most of them are coming from my 4 year old Luke. The latest one is "Mom, is today tomorrow?" I have no idea how to explain this to him. I start out sounding pretty legit and then start confusing myself. Seriously, try explaining how today is not tomorrow to a 4 year old, when you told him that he could play his Wii tomorrow which is now today. Rod spent a good 30 minutes sitting done with a calendar trying to explain this, it is so very cute to watch Rod. He is very good at teaching....persistent and patient. I find the short answer, "no, today can never be tomorrow." But Rod takes so much time to help his children understand their questions, I am so very thankful for that. I starting to think that maybe I should go work in the office and he should be the designated teacher shall we decide to proceed with homeschooling. So is today tomorrow?

homemade stocking

2009-12-18T07:26:00.002-06:00

I was very bored with the store bought stockings that where hanging around the house. I got an idea from another blogger on making your own stockings out of old sweaters. We don't have many sweaters around here, I have never really liked sweaters, they are very itchy and just mot my 1st choice of fashion. So I went to the salvation army and found tons of great sweaters for my project. First up was a snowflake print gray sweater. I had picked this one out for Luke. I started to embellish it with a large snowflake but the snowflake looked awful, it all seemed to be going downhill and I was starting to give up on the project. As I was wadding up the snowflake to throw it away it started to resemble a pretty little flower, so change in plans. It is now a stocking for Ava that I simply love. It is VERY large, I wish I could shrink the size down a little. Oh well, she will just have to be a REALLY good girl if she wants it full;)

floating diamond

2009-12-17T10:30:00.004-06:00

I need some help. I am really wanting a floating diamond necklace for Christmas, 30th Birthday, Valentine's day, or Anniversary which is all coming up in the next three months. I have loved this necklace since the first time I saw it which was about 6 years ago on Trading Spaces host Paige Davis. Since then I have seen that Kate Gosselin has it and I still LOVE the simplicity of it. But you would not believe how hard it is to find online. If any of my readers has an idea, please send it my way. I do not want the cheap costume jewelry replica but also do not want to pay mega $$$$.

homemade ornament wreath

2009-12-16T15:11:00.004-06:00

I knocked this baby out during the kids nap today. Super easy and quick (less than 30 min.). I love the way it turned out. The kids and I made a fast run to walmart because I could not wait any longer to start this project. I bought $38 worth of ornaments, which ended up being way to many. I have enough left over to do a second one so that puts the price tag at $20, I think that's a good price. The directions from the blog I follow was to grab a wire hanger and use your super-human strength to unwind it and shape it into a circle. Start stringing your ornaments, secure wire back in place. Whala!!!

homemade ornament tree

2009-12-15T13:47:00.004-06:00

I totally pulled this idea out of my you know where today. I wanted a designated place to hang the "homemade" Christmas ornaments and could not find a thing around the house that would help me accomplish this. So I got out a large pair of snipers from the garage, went into my backyard and snipped a couple of branch's and poked them down into a vase. Now I have a homemade tree with homemade ornaments. Tacky or chic? you decide. I really like it! Below I go into more detail on each crafted ornament in case you want to give any a shot. All these are definitely kid easy.

Make & Bake kit from hobby lobby. These are really easy. Just give the kids some simple instructions, let them use their own imaginations and bake it into an ornament. These were really fun, simple, and super easy clean-up.

I made this last year at a cookie exchange/craft party. Clever idea that the kids would enjoy doing. Just by some empty glass ornaments, fill them half way with fake snow, hot glue on some balls and pipe cleaner for the ear muffs and some buttons for the eyes and accent the face with colored markers. Such a cute lil' gal.

Another one of last year's projects. Trace your cutie pies hands and cut to make the angel wings. Trace their feet to make the robe. Glue together and add a copied photo of their sweet face. Give them tissue paper and ribbon to tear and cut and glue to embellish the robe. Some crayons to color the wings, pipe cleaner for the hallo.

directions to these sparkly globes below.

shake-it-up ornaments

2009-12-15T13:24:00.004-06:00

Here is a fun, super easy, and inexpensive ornament to do with the kids. They turn out lovely every time.

All you need is:

package of glass ornaments
different colors of paint, I used acrylic
ribbon
tape

directions:

Remove the top of the ornament, squeeze your favorite shade(s) inside. Put some tape over the hole and shake, shake, shake. You may have to add more paint to cover all the glass. Remove the tape and replace with the top, tie on a ribbon and take a picture.

today's dialog

2009-12-15T13:00:00.003-06:00

Luke: Ava, what does a cow say?
Ava: Mooooooooooo
Luke: What does a pig say?
Ava: oink oink
Luke: What does Santa say?
Ava: Ho Ho Ho
Luke:what does a cat say?
Ava: meow
Luke: what does a dog say?
Ava: woof-woof
Luke: What does God say?
Ava: I love you

*** good to know we are doing something right:)

good idea gone bad

2009-12-15T12:44:00.003-06:00

I found this really cute kit to make a personalized stepping stone for the yard at hobby lobby. My sister-in-law just recently finished remodeling the exterior/landscaping of their home and I thought this would be the perfect contribution and Christmas gave me the deadline I needed to finish it, otherwise it would have sat in the closet untouched for months. I was really excited and enjoyed the process of choosing the right pictures, sealing them to the marbles and assigning each one its place. But as soon as I pressed the marbles down into the wet cement the pictures soon became wet and were destroyed. I was very bummed to say the least but this is not a rare occurrence. Like I have mentioned in a previous post, I am not detailed and I like to cut corners to get things done quicker. I did not follow the instructions to wash and dry each marble before setting the pictures in place, nor did I give it the elbow grease it needed to get all the bubbles out. Lesson learned. Sorry Sarah, I hope you still feel the love and the heart of the idea. This picture will have to do:(

homemade christmas cards

2009-12-11T00:03:00.003-06:00

The kids made their own Christmas cards this year. I just bought some iridescent paint and cut up some 12x12 card stock that I already had on hand and let them go to town. They really enjoyed making them and I laughed at the difference I seen in them. Luke had about 8 painted by the time Ava finished her first one. She is much more detailed, much like her father. And Luke is very determined to get the job done while cutting corners, much like me. The cards actually turned out very festive and cute. We let the paint dry and a couple days later added stamped art to the inside. Luke gave his first 4 out tonight at wrestling practice and seemed very proud of his work.

something new

2009-12-10T23:20:00.002-06:00

I was bored with my title and all around blog page. I spiced it up with a new name and some pics of my beautiful family. What do ya think? Be checking back for some upcoming Christmas craft ideas. We have been crafting like crazy around here and have had so much fun. Can't wait to share:)

ava's funnies

2009-11-09T15:32:00.003-06:00

Ava turned 3 so she got promoted to the "big kids class" at church, no more nursery. She made her grand entrance by announcing to the whole class, "Look at Ava Grace, the big girl in the big girl class!"

Last week she told my mom this story. "God and Jesus went to the well and the mean witch pushed them in! The beautiful princess came and got them out and then Jesus shook his bottom."

She is such a hoot! She says something hilarious every day!

Make sure you read below for our recent Luke story.

aggresive boy

2009-11-09T15:11:00.005-06:00

I picked Luke up from Sunday school and the teacher told me that he had a bad day. She said that he hit someone, choked someone else, and I can't remember the third thing he did. But anyways, to say the least I was very disturbed that he acted so aggressive. In fact, when he came out of class he was running with full force and whacked Rod on the back. Luke has always been a hands-on kid but never with this amount of aggression. I was talking with Rod and telling him that I started noticing this behavior change about 3 days ago. He was just getting out of control and I was getting very frustrated. The incident at church made me get to the bottom of the issue. I started digging into my memory bank, what has happened in the past three days. Is he starting to sense the pregnancy? Has something happened to him and he is acting out in frustration? He just didn't seem himself. I then remembered we have been giving him cough medicine the past THREE days for his cough, maybe it was the meds? Rod and I discussed it over lunch and when we got home Rod read the back of the Delsym bottom and said "ummmm Juleah.....I have been giving him 2 tsp." That is 4 X the recommended dose for his age! yikes, no wonder. Poor boy, he has been getting into so much trouble lately because his parents were drugging him. I am not ratting out my husband, I could have easily made the same mistake. Live & Learn. Tonight he is going to his first wrestling class, maybe I should "accidentally" give him Dr. Rod's prescription?

power of simple comments

2009-11-06T14:54:00.003-06:00

Below is a comment that someone IM'd me on facebook that I copied and pasted here so that I could always be encouraged by it. I went to high school with this guy and we were really just acquaintances. I can not believe how good it felt to hear this. It might seem cheesy to some that it was such a big deal to me but my biggest fear is someone having ill feelings toward me. Which makes since that the biggest encouragement to me is someone telling me how much I mean to them or how I have effected their lives or just simply they think I am a good person:)

"u know, every time i see u on here i mean to tell thanks for being such a wonderful person when we were kids....even if u don't realize it, the way u were always nice always made me think of u in a good way" Chris Ford

happy halloween

2009-11-02T21:34:00.002-06:00

We had a blast this year. We had a huge party to attend at a friends with all our church family members. Everyone got into the spirit and some great costumes were created. There were about 130 people. There were scavenger hunts for all ages and a trick or treat hayride that went around the neighborhood. The kids ran around in the dark all night with their flashlights which they thought was really cool. I hope its obvious that Rod and I went as Sonny and Cher and Luke was a ninja and Ava a princess. Looking forward to next years party. I personally LOVE dressing up in a costume!

ava is 3!!!

2009-11-02T21:02:00.002-06:00

My princess turned 3 Friday and she really thinks she is a princess. Everything is princess this, princess that. What do you want for your b-day? a princess. What do you want to be for halloween? a princess. What book do you want to read? princess. EVERYTHING! The four P's Pretty Pink and Purple Princess. She is such a sassy girl. So I knew I had to make her birthday pretty, pink, purple and princess themed. Ava and I made her, which I thought turned out so cute and tasted wonderful. It is an almond white cake with raspberry filling and almond butter cream frosting.....yummy! I also made her tutu and ironed the jewels on her leotard and got her the perfect shoe and crown accessories. She had so much fun and felt like a true princess for the evening.

memory boxes

2009-10-28T19:52:00.005-06:00

So I got super creative this week and made my kids some memory boxes. I LOVE the way they turned out and it was a lot of fun. The kids even got to help paint the glue on. I just bought these super cheap photo boxes from hobby lobby that were half off ($2 each) and some fun scrap booking paper that was also half off ($4) and some decorative embellishments ($10) so the total price for both projects was under $20, super cheap! I also bought some really fun index size card stock and some colored pens, threw them in the boxes so now every time my kids do something that I don't want to forget I just jot it down real quick with the date. I can see me & Ava sitting on the bed together when she is an adult going through them while she is laughing and I will be crying. I am sad I didn't start this sooner, they have already done and have said so many things that I have already forgotten and will probably never recall. I don't want to look back when they are out of the house and wonder what all happened in those few short years.

***the idea of the memory box was inspired by my fabulous friend Kayla.

wildwood road

2009-10-19T20:44:00.004-06:00

We have had the tremendous blessing to receive a beautiful 5 acre piece of property on my parents land. It is an untouched very wooded area with the potential to have a gorgeous view of the surrounding towns and rolling hills. We are thrilled to be able to have such a prime piece of real estate in an area that I grew up in and we both love. We have threw around the idea of building for a few years but now that idea is starting to become reality. This past Saturday, Rod, I and the kids went up on the land and started clearing a trail so that we could get to our pad by four-wheeler. Rod bought a new chain-saw and we worked our little tails off until dark while the kids played a variety of games in the wilderness. It was so fun to see their imaginations go to work as they made guns and swords out of sticks and headed out to fight off the bad guys (bugs & spiders). Then hide-n-seek was a winner with so many places to hide. I am really excited to raise them in such a treasure land that their imaginations can run free. It felt so good to put our own sweat into it, there was a healthy pride after we finished for the day and it was a great way to spend time together as a family. It truly was one of the most enjoyable days I have ever had with my hubby and my kiddos.

***we will not start the actual building process for another year......I figured that question would rise out of my readers, the whole 4 of you:)

***wildwood road is the name of our new street, it fits pefectly

where's the talent?

2009-10-14T13:23:00.003-06:00

I really enjoy taking the time to read others blogs. I will start off reading about a dear friends day and then somehow an hour later I have read 20 other random blogs that can have me rolling in laughter. Total strangers that I get a glimpse of their life. It is so fun. By the end I am so inspired to write some very witty and humorous piece of work but can't seem to get the same finished product. Do you ever wish so badly to have some talent that you just can't seem to possess? I have struggled with this my whole life. I have always wanted to be a talented singer, writer, performer. One of those super creative people that can just create amazing pieces of art all day. I feel like that is rooted deep inside of me and I can not get it to surface. There are times I feel so dull and boring. Although I have people all around me telling me that I inspire them by the way I live life with so much zeal. I don't see it. Is there a way for me to tap into my creative side, get those juices flowing? My sister-in-law has this amazing writing talent, she is so frigging hilarious at times. I have another friend that has this beautiful fun artwork displayed throughout her house and every piece she has done herself. Another friend who is a talented writer that can touch the core of your soul, so much depth. I dear friend that has the voice of heaven and could sing me into a peaceful state everytime I hear her. Where is my talent, am I missing it? Okay, one thing I am good at is having a good time....that's all I care about, not so much a talent though is it?

H1N1 vaccination not for us!

2009-10-09T10:28:00.004-06:00

I did my extensive research and have concluded that Rod, myself, and the kids will NOT be getting the the H1N1 vaccination. I am including a few bits of information that has helped me come to my conclusion. Main points being that 1) there is absolutely no prior testing that has been done on humans, so side-effects/consequences are still unknown (this is so scary to me) 2) the ingredients that are in the vaccinations are ridiculous!

We will be taking vitamin D3 daily and praying for good health. Of course we want to stay healthy but it sounds like getting the actual swine flu would not be the worst case scenario, whereas who knows what the vaccination will do to us months down the road? We do have an amazing immune system, that with the right care can do wonders for our health.

***You mean that our God was so brilliant that he gave as our own defense system.....holy cow that is genius! (sorry, I had to give credit where credit is due)

If you are suspicious like me about this vaccination and curious about the implications it could possibly have than I hope you find the following information helpful in determining what is best for you and your family. I just want to shed light on perspectives that the media and government are so efficient at drowning out.

An interview with a doctor that was aired on Fox News.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1z7KSEnyxw

good article. ten things your not suppose to know about the swine flu vaccine.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026717_swine_flu_flu_vaccine_swine_flu_vaccine.html

This forum was really informative. Some of the people are a little out there but a lot of the comments make complete sense to me. Please read as much as you can take.
http://swinefluvaccinereport.com/

this has a few good articles, just keep searching on this site for more info.
http://www.examiner.com/x-6495-US-Intelligence-Examiner~y2009m9d30-Mandatory-swine-flu-vaccines-questioned

blueberry-oatmeal buttermilk pancakes

2009-10-03T22:19:00.003-06:00

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1 c. old-fashioned oatmeal

2 tbsp. oil

2 lg. eggs, beaten

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. blueberries

***topped off with banana's (assisted by Ava) and lots of butter and syrup. Yummy!!!!

don't miss one

2009-10-02T04:40:00.001-06:00

I couldn't sleep so I got caught up on my blogging, don't miss one. I posted 3.

around the house

2009-10-02T04:24:00.002-06:00

1st pic is truly how my kids Luke about 80% of the time. Ava likes to put on her princess dress and jewelry and as you can tell her hair has not been brushed. If Luke had it his way he would run around in his super hero underwear all day. In fact I caught him talking his friend Stihl into leaving his underwear here at the house so that Luke could wear them. If you could see me, I have on my PJ's, no make-up, hair not brushed and this pic was taken after lunch........is this normal? The other pic was taken on a beautiful day. I wanted to do a fun craft but all I could come up with was finger painting, which I remember love doing when I was a child. I had to help them get their fingers dirty, they did not like that at first. Maybe I have been to paranoid about my kids getting messy, it's starting to show.

Luke's 1st team sport

2009-10-02T03:55:00.002-06:00

Luke had his first soccer practice and game this past week. It was so much fun to watch. As you can see by the first picture Luke gets anxiety about committing to anything. He was having fun playing with all of his friend before practice but as soon as the coaches blew the whistle and said "okay, let's get started" Luke lost it and came running across the field screaming. I had to laugh because he is probably the most athletic, coordinated, fastest kid on that field, he looks so big and tough and than everyone saw that he is still just mama's boy deep inside. I had to participate for a little while to get him back out there but then at one put he said "stop mom, I don't need you anymore, go sit back down" he cracks me up. He ended up loving practice and couldn't wait until soccer game day. We got up early Saturday morning and met Pops and Granny Jo at McDonald's for breakfast and then headed to his game. He had a lot of supporters. The team nicknamed him "Hollywood" because every chance he got he would look back at his fan section and give his biggest smile and wave, he had to do that at least 15 times, funny! He did really good....scored 2 of the 3 points for his team.

Italian Cream Cake

2009-10-02T03:16:00.004-06:00

This is the one dessert I am famous for, an amazing Italian Cream Cake. I got this recipe from a friend of the family and every time I have made it I get rave reviews. I had a dinner with friends and a church fellowship back to back so I made two of them last week. I don't make it very often because it is a little more time consuming than most of my other desserts but when I do I indulge. This is the cake my dad request me to make him every year for his birthday. Sadly he just recently got diagnosed with Type II diabetes so he will not be getting it this year. Enjoy!

Cake

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. margarine

2 c. sugar

5 eggs (seperated)

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 c. buttermilk

1 -7oz. can coconut

Blend shortening and margarine. Add sugar and yolks, beat after each one. Sift flour and soda together, add to mixture. Add buttermilk and 1 2/3 c. coconut. Beat egg whites until stiff, fold into batter. Pour into 3- 9in greased cake pans. Bake 350 25-30 minutes.

icing

1 stick margarine

1 8 oz cream cheese

1- 1lb. box powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1 c. coconut

Fall

2009-09-28T10:49:00.002-06:00

I really enjoy summer, you all know that. We are summer party animals, we find all kinds of ways to beat the heat. But can I tell you how much I am falling in love with the Fall? I am sad that in just a couple months it will be over and the bitter winter will strike again. But for the time being I am simply in love and holding on tightly to this beautiful season. This week I am focused on "fall cleaning" I am gutting the house and simplifying our lives. Next week I plan on shopping for some new fall decor, I have never been much on changing the decor in my house but this year I am really excited to start a fall collection. The week after, I plan on being in a baking and crafting mood and just planning fun fall activities for the kids and I to do. This season has got me so pumped, plus I am finally feeling normal again which I am sure has a lot to do with my spurt of energy. The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair is this week and I am so excited to take the kids. This is something that I looked forward to every year as a child and still get excited about today.

A friend of mine asked her followers what their favorite thing is about fall and I want to ask the same question. So what's your favorite? My favorite has to be simply the change. The change in decor, clothes, candle scents, weather, activities, etc.

my snuggle boy

2009-09-25T06:58:00.002-06:00

Luke has show-n-tell every Thursday. This Thursday he was assigned to bring something red. He stayed with his Nana the night before and as they were lying in bed he asked, "Nana, what color shirt are you wearing?" "Red." nana answered "I know Nana, I can take you to show-n-tell tomorrow and then I can kiss and hug you all day."

Luke is energetic and hard to control at times but his heart is so tender and sweet. He is soooooo hands on. He loves to snuggle, hug, kiss, slap bottoms. I will have to keep a close eye on him when he finds his first girlfriend. Which reminds me that he has a little girlfriend at school, her name is Rio and he informed me the other day that they looked at each others bottoms. Seriously! How do you monitor this stuff? He also said that she tries to kiss him. There are doing some PG-13 things going on in pre-school.

I've gotta go because right now he is calling me to come snuggle with him on the coach, really....

Turks & Caicos...here we come!

2009-09-06T15:08:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow at 4:30 am we will be leaving our home to go on our family dream vacation! We are headed to Turks & Caicos and staying at Beaches Resort!!!! We have had Turks on our list for a while, it was Sharon's (my dear mother-in-love) favorite island and she was pretty island savvy. And for those who do not know about Beaches Resort it is a family paradise. They have 8 pools with slides and pirate ships, a 360 x-box room for all the game lovers, sesame street characters that host many events, a kids club with all kinds of fun activities for kids, a night club for teens where parents are not allowed, 16 restaurants, treasure hunts, movie nights by the pool....it is endless! Plus scuba diving is included which is a major plus for our family although I will not be able to take advantage of this opportunity this trip since I am prego but Rod will take full advantage! Everything is included. While Rod goes and enjoys the underwater world my kids can go hang out in the kitchen with cookie monster and bake cookies while I bask in the sun while attempting to finish an interesting book. After some alone time, we can get back in our family huddle and build sandcastles, float the lazy river, go for a snorkel, and eat endless amounts of ice cream and drink yummy island drinks! Okay so I am so hyped up but here is the down fall. I am still sick, by noon I am laying around feeling sorry for myself because anytime I stand up I get this incredible urge to puke. Also, Ava is was running a 104 degree temp Thursday. It never ever fails that anytime our family goes on vacation someone gets sick just a couple days before we head out, it is insane! And many of you know that I HATE taking meds. So I have held off my zyfron and Ava's antibiotic but am now starting to collapse under the pressure that we are leaving tomorrow and I want everyone to be well. So I started taking my zyfron today and will make myself take it for the next week so that I can enjoy my family. I think Ava's fever is starting to taper off and come back down but if it rises one more time then I will start the antibiotic, which by the way was given to us as a safety precaution in case it turned into anything, I was not instructed to give it to her until then. Back on a happy note, the kids are stoked! An I mean stoked in every sense of the word. Ava can not wait to hug Elmo and swim with the dolphins, I haven't had the heart to tell her that we probably won't be swimming with dolphins. She has asked everyday "is it time to go to beaches" for the past month. Of all things Luke can't wait to get his face painted, crazy, huh? He is also excited about the pirate pool, x-box room, and snorkeling. So in 12 hours we will be off, wish us well and pray for our health and safety. See ya mon'

coming out

2009-08-30T20:22:00.002-06:00

Yay! I am coming out of the yucky icky part of the 1st trimester!!! I have went two days without making a trip to the toilet to purge my meal. This is a big deal. I did get some zofran Thursday when I went to the doctor. I thought the meds was what was helping me so much, but today I had no meds and no vomiting! I am still not 100%, there are a few times in the day I feel just blah but definitely better. I actually went for a run/walk tonight, it has been over a month since I have ran, it felt great! I didn't experience this with either of my other two, this one is hard core, so bad that I can confidently say I am not going back here again.

friends wanted

2009-08-26T13:11:00.002-06:00

I am in a funk today. Torn between what I want to do, who I want to be and the reality of who I really am and what I haven't done. I have two wonderful friends that are setting so heavy on my heart today, one that is going through a difficult circumstance and the other who knows how to can make anyone laugh through the pain. Unfortunately they are both distant friendships and I am longing to be with them so badly right now. They are two friends that have both inspired me to be a better mom, wife and friend. They both have such a beautiful creative side that makes me eager to discover my own. I am almost tormented with so many mixed emotions today. I feel like I am scrambling for the words to express what I am feeling. I just want to sit with them, have a glass of wine, eat a box truffles and unwind for the next few hours. Come to me Sarah and Jessica, I miss you both!

morning sickness

2009-08-22T18:03:00.002-06:00

I tried to get inspired to post something new. This picture is all I could come up with, it pretty much sums up the last month of my life.

pillowcase dress

2009-07-28T10:53:00.007-06:00

This is my second attempt at a pillowcase dress for Ava. I was pretty satisfied with the end result. After I took these pictures I brought the dress in more so it wasn't so big and it looks even better. Super easy pattern since this is the first time I have ever attempted sewing clothing. Very fun. I ordered $100 worth of fabric the other day, can't wait to get it in and play with it. Last picture is with their 1st pet "Tiger" I really don't care for cats but this one showed up at our doorstep and I can not turn away an animal in need. He seems to fit perfectly, very playful but also very gentle with the kids, they can tote him along anywhere and he doesn't seem to mind. In fact Tiger entertained the kids the whole time I made Ava's dress, great cheap babysitting:)

sucker for new baby stuff

2009-07-22T21:45:00.004-06:00

So I am getting really pumped about having another babe. I love looking at all the new things that have came out or maybe I just wasn't aware of since the last time a had a newborn. Here are my top three items of the day that I can't wait to get my hands on. All are from etsy.com......my most favorite web-site!

Baby Mobile. Paper birds. I really like this seller, a large variety of paper mobiles.

Baby Cocoon. Isn't this adorable. I can't wait to wrap my baby up in this.

Lovely Dudes baby sling. Not anything much more precious then a snuggled up baby on your chest. This one does it with ease and style.

Baby #3

2009-07-21T07:13:00.003-06:00

I just found out yesterday that God is blessing us with another bundle of love! It still hasn't really sunk in, I am tempted to go buy another test to make sure that my eyes where not deceiving me. Rod and I were not really trying, we were hoping to wait until Spring of next year. It is crazy how different you can feel with each pregnancy, not physically but emotionally. I remember with Luke I was beside myself, I was so completely overwhelmed with excitement. I was also ready to get him out, the pregnancy seemed so long and I couldn't wait to meet him. I made every single doctor appointment and was maddened that they could not get me in sooner. I read every book under the sun about pregancy. After he was born I was constantly waiting for the next milestone. With Ava I was also very excited, not as overwhelmed with emotions as with Luke but definitely excited. I was still ready to get her out into this world, didn't enjoy the pregnancy very much, but I did feel much more relaxed when she was a baby. I remember cherishing the baby stage more, not in such a hurry to grow her up. With this pregnancy I was completely laid back when we found out. There is a much more balanced excitement in it. I am already looking forward to this pregnancy, which I didn't with the other two. I don't think I will be in such a hurry to get this babe out. I will enjoy and cherish him/her growing in my tummy. It is sooooooo amazing how a baby is formed and how they grow inside of you. I think I am looking more forward the pregnancy at this point than anything. I am pretty sure this will be the last child. Maybe that is why I am savoring it more.

Me-Maw's Place

2009-06-03T09:34:00.003-06:00

I am absorbing the most relaxing lifestyle this week. I feel so tremendously blessed. Most know that summer is the season of F-U-N for this family and summer is here! We inherited an absolutely beautiful home from the dearest lady I know....my mother-in-love, Sharon. The possession of this home could never compare to having the presence of her with us. I miss her so deeply & wish with all my power that she were here experiencing life with us. But I feel so blessed to be able to care for and make memories in her personally designed dream home. This home reflects her passion for "living on the lake" a dream that we shared in common with her. I thank her for so many wonderful memories and blessings she has left us. I know one of her desires for this home was to have a gathering place for her family and friends, a place where her grandchildren loved to play and would return with anticipation. She was very successful with this dream. Our kids love the "lake house" ... we still call it Me-Maw's place not ready to take full ownership of it. It still feels like hers and we are just living out the dream that she had for it. In a couple of weeks the rest of the family will join us and we will celebrate her dream together. I know she would be so proud to see her home used in such a way that creates everlasting memories for her family and friends. Thank you Sharon for this home but more importantly for your legacy..... we all miss you terribly and your presence is never far from our minds.

movie night

2009-05-04T09:12:00.002-06:00

We had a movie night with the boys. We rented Star Wars Clone Wars and made some popcorn & monkey munch (aka puppy chow). It was fun just making a big pallet and cuddling with our lil men....okay maybe there wasn't that much cuddling because they would have to get up and "fight" with their laser swords every 10 min.

***pictured left to right - Megan, Asher, Luke, Juleah, Kristin, Stihl

our "friends"

2009-05-01T22:03:00.002-06:00

This is the 2nd time that our house has been raided by our "friends".....I must add 2 separate groups of friends. Tonight while we were out having dinner Liz decided to come over and have a little fun by scattering all of our laundry across the house and rearranging a few chairs. At first I started to yell at Luke and Ava thinking that they managed to do it until I looked more closely at how my undies where hanging neatly from all the pictures. Retaliation is always fun though!

spring cleaning

2009-05-01T21:35:00.002-06:00

Today was a busy day. Rod and I basically gutted the garage, it took us almost the whole day to do it. We were so focused on the job at hand that the kids pretty much got to do whatever they wanted as long as they stayed out of our way. Here are a couple pics of what they chose to do with their freedom. Ava decided that all of her dolls and animals wanted to take a siesta in the flower bed, so she drug EVERY one of them from her bedroom to do just that.....this is how I found her, taking a nap with them. Than the last part of the day we found them playing in the mud.......grrrr! It is really hard for me to relax and let my kids get dirty much less play in the mud, but they were having so much fun and knew they got away with something big.

Ava's funniest to date

2009-04-29T20:51:00.003-06:00

Tonight I picked Ava up from the nursery at church and the teachers were were so excited to tell me what Ava said tonight. I of course love hearing funnies about my kids. Ava crawled up in Mrs. Suzanne's lap and commented on her beautiful diamond necklace, "that's pretty, I like it......who got it for you?" Suzanne's response, "Kemp (her husband).......he is like the daddy in our house. Does you daddy ever give your mommy anything?" Ava's response "uh-huh.......wedgies."

So so true. I have to admit we give out wedgie's like candy at our house.

going through the motions

2009-04-29T09:34:00.003-06:00

Today I read one ladies explanation of "going through the motions" and really enjoyed it:

""To go through the motions" is to merely do something for the sake of doing it. That is going to church without listening, reading your Bible without learning, singing a praise song without worshipping. There is nothing wrong with the motion or activity of one's daily routine. When one's life becomes a compilation of habits without purpose then God ceases to be praised. "

My current favorite song is "the motions" by Matthew West......LOVE IT! Wish I could figure out how to load it on this entry.

Side note - "going through the motions" could easily be applied to being a wife and mother. I feel myself many days just going through the daily routine of waking up, making breakfast, cleaning the house, doing laundry, while giving little sincere attention to my family. I don't want to "go through the motions any longer" I want to embrace, enjoy, & love fully everyday.

yummy new hobby

2009-04-21T20:42:00.005-06:00

Yummy!!!!! I have followed a blog now for over a year, cupcakeblog.com, I ran across it from another friends blog. Anyways, I love this blog! Just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water and every since I ran across it I have wanted to tackle one of the recipes. Well today I did just that. I made the most amazing mini-cupcakes I have ever had and had so much fun doing it! The above picture was not mine but the one I replicated. They are.......chocolate cupcakes stuffed with strawberry chocolate ganache and frosted with chocolate glaze and buttercream. They are so much more than you average cupcake. They are so rich & creamy. I have tried baking my own cakes before but this was so much better.....taste and process. I love the idea of filling the center with your own creation. I can't wait to try more recipes.

****I was asked to add a link to to this recipe, here it is http://cupcakeblog.com/?p=107 enjoy!

Photo Editing...trial by error

2009-04-16T22:06:00.005-06:00

Messed around with some photo editing for my first time. Not to great, but fun. Love this picture of Rod & I though, it seems to portray us well. This is us in all our comfort.

what brings you joy?

2009-04-16T12:03:00.003-06:00

Lately, I feel more observant to the things that bring me joy. I feel more sensitive this past year than any other time in my life. Not in a bad way but in a wonderful way. I am paying more attention to my senses and what enthralls me. It could be anything from the sun on my skin to my children laughing with so much joy. I love it when Rod kisses me just behind my ear while I am doing the dishes, it sends chills all over my body; to be on the four wheeler in the woods, smelling the cedar trees and brush piles burning; the change of seasons, not one particular season but the in between transition when your skin takes its first breathe of cool or warm air in months; the way I feel after a hard work-out, the tightness of my muscles and clarity of mind; an amazing encounter with God, when He shows me something new that He never revealed before; a wonderful visit with a friend when you leave feeling like you discovered a new level of intimacy with them; the power of music and how it can totally heighten your senses; the release that comes from dancing by displaying your mode through movement; my children telling me they love me more than 5 universes and knowing they truly mean it; the joy that comes when serving others. I feel I am living life more aware now than ever before. I think the age 30 is not going to be so bad after all.....in fact I am looking very forward to it.

Samaritan's Kitchen

2009-04-11T06:37:00.005-06:00

Some wonderful ladies in my church opened up the "Samaritan's Kitchen" a couple of months ago. It is a place where people that are hungry can come and be fed and loved on. Rod , I, and the kids all went this past Tuesday to take part in serving. It was a great opportunity to teach our kids the importance of showing love to ALL people. I know that they're at an early age and do not know the difference between themselves and less fortunate people. My hope is to prevent that separation from occurring in their lives. I am not naive, I know that no matter what I do there will always be some degree of separation but in the long run I hope they will be comfortable being around and having relationships with all types of people.

As I was watching my family serve and watched the guest enjoy being royalty for the evening I saw something more. I didn't just see people who where looking for a hand-out or probably not even there for the food. There were there to have relationships with others. They just wanted someone to talk to. Ava went around the room and gave just about every person a hug. It brought tears to my eyes and many of theirs. They needed a hug & it can not get any better than receiving a hug from an innocent child.

One woman looked very familiar so I sat and talked with her. I found out that she worked at our local McDonalds for 12 years she was a very dedicated employee, she had the golden arch ring to prove it, which she was so proud of. I immediately recognized her when she told me she was the former McDonald's manager but her face was different then I remembered. She had been choked by her family which caused her slight brain damage and loss of eye sight. She was able to get a restraining order against her family and is in a very safe environment now. She was adorable. Another woman brought her 8 grandchildren in that live with her. She was so patient with them and could tell she adored everyone of them. She had on sunglasses that hide her black eye. There was so much hurt and need in that room. And I knew the one thing they needed more than anything was to feel loved.

God made us to need and want to be loved. He desires us to have healthy relationships with one another. We can only give them so much, but He is the ultimate fulfiller. I want these people to know the God that I know. A God that loves them unconditionally and more then any human being possibly could.

update

2009-04-01T10:57:00.002-06:00

I have been working out hard to P90X, very consistently. I can tell a little a difference, my stomach feels a little tighter especially in the mornings. Rod grabbed me around the waste this morning and told me how thin I felt, he notices a difference. I also noticed a little more bicep in the mirror and my legs have a little more definition. Having a partner has really helped.

My eating hasn't changed much. I feel I eat pretty healthy anyways but there are defiantly times that I don't have time to care so I fall off the wagon. I can't seem to be as consistent in this area.

My kids are incredibly cute and hilarious right now. They say the funniest things all the time. It is times like this when I am sitting in front of my computer focused that they get rambunctious and whiny. I know they are just trying to get my attention. Because of this I have really monitored my time on the computer, I am not on it near as much. In fact there have been a couple days in a row that I don't even get on it. I am seriously considering "fasting" from the computer for a whole week.

Cecilia is getting married to a great guy. Rod and I are super excited about that. She comes over about 3 times a week and talks about it. She is really wanting my help for the wedding which makes me happy. I love that girl to pieces!

Rod and I are going to the NASCAR races this weekend with some friends. We are both looking forward to this.

The weather here is wonderful, we have been spending a lot of time outside riding four-wheelers and checking out our new land.

That's it. This is a very random post and not written with much whit or elegance, but I wrote right?

ramblings

2009-03-12T05:42:00.003-06:00

I don't think I am going to stick with the "once a week health tidbit column." It already seems to bore me to have to research. Not really the research but turning around and articulating it into my own words is exhausting. Sorry if you are one of my avid followers and are disappointed that you won't get to read my ramblings of how I think the world should open their eyes more & not their mouth. ha ha. (I dont think I have any avid followers, especially anyone who cares about my health tips)

On another note, I was up at 5:00 this morning! Not just up, like not sleeping, but up as in at the grocery store! It is 6:45 now and I feel so ahead of my game. I can accomplish so much more when the kids are still sleeping. The laundry is done, the dishes are washing, and I actually had breakfast! Now I have time to write in my blog...... which I really should be doing my bible study. Which I am going to do right now with the few brief moments I have left. Adios!

P90X

2009-03-06T22:12:00.007-06:00

I just got back from Colorado were we had a great time with our kids and friends! While we where there, Denise (the most rock hard chick I know) was working out to P90X. I did one night with her and was so miserably sore the next three days. I am usually not a sucker for workout plans but I ordered P90X and am anticipating it's arrival. I could just sit and watch it because the coaches are of another world....EXTREME! Not to mention that Tony Horton (fitness trainer) is hilarious and totally real. This workout is not for sissy's.....you have to have massive determination. I am trying to get Rod to do it with me, we will see. 90 days to a healthy me.....Bring it!

Raw Milk

2009-02-23T23:55:00.004-06:00

So I have chosen Raw Milk as my first food. I originally wanted to study Kefir which I still look so forward to, but since Raw Milk is so vital to a good Kefir I needed to start here. I thought I knew about milk and would buy organic about 30% of the time and Braum's 50% of the time because of the rBGH-FREE (no hormones added). But don't let the organic label fool you, it is not RAW MILK, which is a million times better for you. The source of most commercial milk is the modern Holstein, bred to produce huge quantities of milk three times as much as the old-fashioned cow. She needs special feed and antibiotics to keep her well. Her milk contains high levels of growth hormone from her pituitary gland.

A quick 101 lesson:

pasteurization- is a heating process designed to destroy all bacteria and enzyme activity.
homogenization - Subjecting the milk-fat (cream) to high pressures and forcing it through a tight-meshed screen that causes the fat-molecules to rupture, turn rancid and spoil. Homogenization originated to hide milk that was low in fat. In early years, low-fat milk was considered less desirable and unhealthy. Homogenization today is performed to keep the cream from separating from the milk so that it will not sour and the milk looks even.

Both of these processes destroy or damage the wonderful nutrients in raw milk. People will tell you that it is not safe to drink milk if it is not pasteurized, WRONG!!! Many people think they are lactose intolerant but one reason could be that enzymes that are needed to help our body break down the food are destroyed in the pasteurization process. This process kills EVERYTHING, that sounds kinda good, right? But it isn't, we are literally drinking dead milk when we could be drinking live milk. Milk in it's pure form is so healthy, you could literally live on Raw Milk alone. Another thing we have came to believe is that whole milk is bad and a reduced fat milk is a better choice. God made our bodies to need fat. The fat in Raw Milk is so healthy for our bodies. Below I have attached two links if anyone is interested in studying this further. I have a really hard time communicating it myself but am happy to provide the resources. The first link is a great web-page with tons of information, very helpful. The second link is a video that also has some great info. I enjoy videos, probably because I am to lazy to read and process what I am reading. Make sure you read into the studies of what commercial milk is linked to today, you will be surprised.

The only bad thing for me is that because I live in a small town it is hard to find a dairy farm. You would think that because I live in the center of farm ville and that there is a herd of cows every mile that it would come so easy but I still have not had any luck. If anyone knows of somewhere please inform me.

http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHcyAH0rOPE

my own health food challenge

2009-02-20T22:35:00.004-06:00

Those of you who know me know that I love studying the benefits of healthy, raw, organic food. The problem I have is that I do not have a good system in place to practice it. I have included some very basic staples in our home like yogurt, whole grains, berries, natural sugars, etc but as far as building upon those staples I have not progressed. So I am challenging myself to blog at least one healthy food a week and explain why it is so healthy. I think this challenge will help me establish a wide variety of food in my own home and give me the knowledge I need to really understand why I am doing this. So check back for healthy food #1 next week.

discovering myself

2009-02-18T21:04:00.002-06:00

Here I am at age 29 with two children and I feel like I am just now starting to discover myself or more correctly the person God has made me to be. I have to say this has been a very confusing process but also a relieving one. Relieving in the sense that I feel certain walls/burdens falling, like the need to impress others, or the fear of not being accepted, and the uneasiness of not discovering my own gifts and talents. I am exhausted of striving to be a certain image rather it be in the role of wife, mother, friend, or christian. I am starting to find my own groove. I am discovering things that I truly enjoy and am becoming more and more comfortable with who I truly am. I feel like this is coming later in my life than others. It is almost embarrassing to admit but also freeing. For some reason I have been feeling a strong urge to shout it out. To tell everyone who I am as if I have given them this false person for so many years. I almost feel like I am in a state of rebellion also. That if you say black than I want to say white because I am my own individual and am entitled to my opinion. For so many years I have just agreed with others in what they believed but I am finally discovering my own sense of beliefs and I want them known. So forgive me if I have seemed loud to you lately, maybe overbearing. I am still trying to find balance in this. Be patient. For there is one thing that I absolutely know and it is that God has made me into a beautiful individual full of so many capabilities I just have to discover who that person is and I feel like I am on the right road there.

Who Am I?

2009-02-16T12:24:00.011-06:00

Today I have been inspired to write about myself. Who I am, where I have come from and what I believe.

My given name is Juleah Marie Fisher. Juleah was after my two grandmother's. Paternal grandmother's middle name being Julia and maternal grandmother's middle name being Leah therefore that is where Juleah derived from. I have always been very fond of it. My middle name was drawn out of shoe. My mom, dad, and sister all cast their votes that included Summer, Dawn, & Marie...my dad won. My great-grandfather changed his last name in the early 1900's which was Vandervis (Dutch) but the name sounded German so it was changed to avoid persecution. Vandervis means son of a fisherman and that is how he came up with Fisher. I have always thought Vandervis would be a cool last name.

My early years I grew up on a farm right next door to my grandparents. I remember riding the tractor with my grandpa as we rolled bails of hay. Swimming in strip-pits and playing in the creek bed looking for crawdads. I milked a few cows and even bottle feed some of their babies. I had a hen named Red and a dog named Bear that followed me everywhere. I have pictures sitting on top of a bull name Repo at age 4. I walked barefoot everywhere I went, my feet where so tough that stickers barely made me wince. We broke many of warm watermelon open on the tailgate of grandpa's truck that came straight from his ginormous garden. I was raised on grandma's yummy fried potatoes and enjoyed a glass of milk & cornbread after dinner. I played rummy with my grandma at least 3 nights out of the week while my grandpa made me the best chocolate malts. My cousin and I would play hide-n-seek in the hay barn for hours. Discovering a liter of newborn kittens on the farm was about as regular taking a shower. I helped grandma collect eggs from the hen house but was always scared of those pecking birds. My dad and I were always fishing in his two seat scampy...... my dad is a big guy, I remember everytime he moved I thought the boat was going to tip. I found out years later that my dad never put a hook on my line because he was scared I would hook him. I have many wonderful memories growing up on a farm. I have very few memories of our actual home because I was outside from daylight to dusk.

I moved to the "city" when I was around 7. City of Poteau, population then probably around 6,000. It was so cool, there was a Wal-mart and fast-food drive-thru's. Our family was moving on up. I made new friends quickly and spent most my weekends from then on at the skate-reation, I never missed an all night skate.

My wonderful, beautiful, loving, compassionate sister passed away when I was 9, she was 18. It changed the whole dynamics of my family. Life never felt the same after our loss. I could go on and on about how this horrible accident reshaped my whole life and how even today I have such a deep longing for her. But I also have to consider all of the blessings that this life has given me in the midst of her death.

I started riding horses at age 12. I was a real cowgirl on the weekends, traveling to shodeos and rodeos. Taking the top prize on my horse, Rocket. I loved barrel racing and pole bending and feeling the cool breeze that came while riding. My mom and I did a lot of trail riding together, which brought us very close. But that passion came to an end at the age of 16 when I got a car and a license's. I am not going to go into detail about what I did with my life the next few years, nothing I am proud of. I did graduate and went on to college to obtain my Bachelor degree in Business.

I met Rod in 1998 right after I graduated high school. We met at a lake, how fitting for us right? It started out as a fun friendship and turned into something more romantic after about a month. After 5 years of dating we made the plunge and got married in 2003. It was actually after our marriage that I fell completely in love with him. The foundation of our marriage is based on God, the most solid foundation possible. Rod has been an amazing husband. He is so patient, giving, and wise. I look forward to many years together.

In 2005 we started our family with our handsome, energetic, hands-on boy, Luke Isaac. He introduced to us the true meaning of unconditional love. Ava Grace followed just 19 months later. Ava is our beautiful, independent, organized princess. I have learned volumes about God's love through the two of these precious babes. I am blessed to be able to stay at home with them. I need them.

Some fun facts: I am most relaxed at a coffee shop or out in the woods. I love the sound of my kids giggling. I enjoy exercise, there is a great release in it for me. I get the most joy out of seeing others have joy. I love the smell of honeysuckle. I enjoy studying natural ways to heal the body. I like feeding my children super healthy food (while I pig out on cookies). Just the thought of spoiled milk in a sippy cup can make me vomit. My pet peeve is Rod not tending to the trash. I love to pop toes.... mine, my kids, my friends, whoever. I have turned into quite the athlete.....wakeboarding, snowboarding, scuba-diving, mountain bike riding, swimming, running..... most of these Rod and I learned together which I believe gives us a unique connection. I hate putting laundry away sometimes I will hire someone to do it for me. Most my shopping is done online. The afternoons/early evenings are usually the worst part of my day. I cry like a baby if I see an animal in pain. I have a deep fear of driving on ice, its been with me since I was very young. I am not book smart or is my vocabulary very extensive but I do have a great sense of direction and pretty good common sense. I have a strong desire to learn Spanish and sign-language.
When I try to imagine what heaven will be like I think of a sunny beach with crystal blue waters and than at a snap of a finger to be in some deep powder on my snowboard and then snap there I am on the lake with all my friends and family......and endless amounts of sweetbay chocolate chip cookies that not only do not contain any calories but are actually super healthy. That is the closest thing to heaven I can come up with, but know that it will be even more glorious than that. And that just amazes me!

Today I am completely in love with my husband, my children, my family, my life and most importantly with Jesus. I feel so blessed at the age of 29 to be where I am today. As of right now, I could not be more content with my life. Who I am today is based on my life experiences & my spiritual beliefs. I wake-up every morning with anticipation to start another day. A day to play with my children, to love my husband, to spend time with those I hold dear. This is a wonderful life, This is my life! I still stand in awe of it.

who knew

2008-12-22T22:42:00.004-06:00

I never imagined that one day I would be in the ladies dressing room trying on bra's with my 80+ year old grandmother and 2 year old little girl. What a sight! I still can't remember how this happened. But I can say after seeing my grandmother and I standing in front of the mirror together, I can't complain about my body anymore.....I looked pretty good that day. Thanks grandma for boosting my self-esteem.

Expectations

2008-12-18T07:06:00.001-06:00

My time with God this morning came in the form of a devotion titled "Expectations" and I really needed to hear this. First let me tell you about my mornings this week so you can better understand my need for this. I recently decided to start waking up early in the mornings to workout and study before the family gets up (5 am!!!) So far I have been very disciplined in doing this. But this is what has occurred in my home. As soon as I get back from my work out and start my study my kids wake up. They have woke-up between 7-7:30 for the last 2-3 years but now they decide to start getting up at 6:15-6:30. What happens is I get frustrated with God about the whole issue. "God, I am trying to make that time for you....I look so forward to it. I know that you are powerful enough to keep my kids sleeping so I can spend time with you....so what's the deal?" I seriously get really frustrated, and I tell Him about it. Well like I said my devotion this morning was about expectations.....you know the old saying "with no expectations, there are no disappointments." I totally expect God to make my life easier, especially if I am in the moment of being with Him. A couple of quotes that got me in my devotions were "The more expectations we place upon God, the more disappointed or offended we become when He doesn't deliver as expected." "Whether we expect God to remove all of our problems or to bless us with our every desire, our expectations can become idols that cause us to turn from God when they are unfulfilled."

2 Kings 5:11-12 paraphrased:

Naaman went to Elisha with the expectation of him healing Naaman of his leprosy right there on the spot. But Elisha wouldn't even go to Naaman, he told him to go wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be healed. Naaman went away angry and went off in rage.

The reason Naaman was angry is because he already had expectations. Fortunately he got over his disappointment and did what Elisha said and was healed. But what if he hadn't....what if he let his frustration get the best of him. He would have missed out on God's blessing.

application: ask God to remove all expectations I have of Him and everyone else. Expectations are not healthy so I need to recognize them and do work on abolishing them. I have to add that I also have noticed that Christmas has become so much about expectations. I hope to get rid of this tradition, making sure my children do not adopt this same ugly view.

Locus of Control Test

2008-12-16T18:19:00.005-06:00

warning: This blog could be boring to some, but I know Sarah will probably enjoy it. So if your not into personality test than read no further.

I took a test today which was interesting to me. I have always found personality test to be very interesting, they really capture my attention. Below is the description and results of my test.

Description
Locus of control refers to how a person perceives the cause of life events. Someone with an internal locus of control would generally perceive him or herself as responsible for certain occurrences (his or her actions would have a direct bearing on the result). On the other hand, a person with an external locus of control would most often blame (or thank) fate, destiny, luck, society or some other force beyond his or her control.

Results 43 of 100
You have a mixed attribution style when it comes to success. Sometimes you interpret your success as a result of your skills, intelligence, nice personality etc. Other times, you attribute it to external factors, such as luck, ease of task or other people's help. As a consequence, you don't always take the credit you deserve. Your self-esteem, motivation and general well-being would most likely be improved if you realized that you actively influence positive events in your life.

Ava Goes Potty

2008-12-15T12:34:00.005-06:00

This is one of those belly laughing stories....or it is to me anyways. Ava has been potty trained for a couple months but sometimes I feel we are still in training. Anyways, I was walking through the living room and noticed Ava stark naked sitting on a book and grunting like she was trying to poo. "What in the world are you doing?" I asked her. "I poo-poo in the potty" she said with a big grin. The book was a potty training book form the dollar store (that we have never used), nonetheless it had pictures of a child learning to go potty and on one page was a picture of a toilet.....that is the page she was sitting on. Thank goodness she was pretending:)

Kids Favorites of 2008

2008-12-15T07:33:00.006-06:00

Luke
tv - spiderman
food - PBJ
toy - action figures, swords, & guns
play - wrestling
book - Three Billy Goats Gruff

color - blue

Ava
tv- mickey mouse clubhouse
food - plain yogurt w/ berries and agave nectar
toy - vet clinic with locking doors
play - "what's behind my back"
book - Where's Elmo?

color - pink

I miss her.....

2008-12-13T22:27:00.003-06:00

Tonight Rod and I took the kids to the mall to get their pictures with Santa, to eat, and play. It has been a while since I have taken them to play at the mall. It's fun every time because they learn something new or finally accomplish what they worked so hard on the last visit. As I was watching them try different things my mind went back to the many times I sat there with Sharon (my mother-in-love) by my side. I was suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of longing to to be with her. To have her sit there with me and witness the growth taking place in them. I want so bad for her to watch them grow but even more than that I miss watching her watch them. I absolutely loved watching her adore her grandchildren. There were many occasions were I had the choice to let her take them to play and give me a break but I usually chose to stay around just to watch her. I loved the way she giggled with delight, the undivided attention she gave them. I could literally watch the stress and cares of the world melt away from her in the presence of her grandchildren. It was such a pure and peaceful place for her to be and I loved to witness that. I realize that my longing is selfish. That the need to see her watch my kids is stronger than her just watching them. So many people (including my husband) believe that she is watching us right now, but if this is true that isn't enough for me, I want to see the joy she gets. I can't even begin to imagine the love and joy she would have around them now. Luke & Ava are at such a fun age, I could see her just rolling in laughter. Sometimes the pain from her loss seems dull but then I realize it is just very deep. This longing for her will always be here but there are some moments more painful than others.

what expensive means to a 3 year old....

2008-12-11T08:56:00.006-06:00

My mom took Luke to school this morning. It wasn't long after they left she called me to tell me something funny that Luke said.

"Luke, would you like me to take you shopping so you can get your mom and dad something for Christmas?" asked Nana. "Yes!' Luke shouted. "What would you get them?" Nana proceeded. "Something expensive." replied Luke "Like what?" "A really expensive soccer hat!" answered Luke. So Nana than asked "Luke, do you know what expensive means?" "Yep, it means I can't touch it."

I love the funny things kids say. I need to blog them more so I will never forget these sweet jolly moments with them.

Resolution 2009

2008-12-10T07:26:00.004-06:00

My lovely sister-n-love blogged a new post encouraging others to think of what their New Year's resolution might be for 2009. Something that is a challenge, out of their comfort zones. My resolution for the new year would be making more time to serve others. I feel so selfish with my time. I want myself and my children to step out of our comfort zones of home and go out into the world to serve and love on others. Even if it means hugging stinky, grumpy, senior saints in nursing homes where I have a phobia that my kids will catch some sort of illness if they step foot inside. Even if it means letting Luke play with another little boy that has horrible language habits and hasnt had a bath in a week because of poor parenting, another phobia that he might forever contaminate my child. My mentor was telling me yesterday that her and a friend are in the works of starting a soup kitchen in this area! That would be a great place to serve and show my children the reality of some peoples lives. I really really want my children to be grateful for all we have been blessed with, but today kids have this construed vision of the world and can't see outside their own little bubble. I am guilty of this myself. I feel that serving is a win win situation, the blessing that both parties receive is huge. This will take courage, determination, and commitment on my part. Three things which a seriously lack. Hopefully I will be able to press through and be successful. Thank you Sarah for making me think:) I would love to hear from others on their "resolutions."

He Loves Me

2008-11-20T23:09:00.002-06:00

I am absolutely convinced that this man loves me with the depths of his soul. I have never seen a man compliment and love his woman like my husband does me. He is constantly encouraging me and telling me how wonderful I am as a wife & mother. He deals with my wisecracks, tempers and awful spending habits. I would be a fool not to see his worth. He even lets me dress him up like this so that everyone can make fun of him......I love you baby, thank you for giving me a wonderful and secure life.