Collage Style!

Need a style pick me up?  Why not take a look at some of these modest ensembles to piece together your very own wise woman wardrobe? 

Here comes a BLURT!

Source: beyondtherack.com via Angela on Pinterest

I saw this on Pinterest this afternoon, and honestly, I just had to laugh . . . and laugh . . . and ponder . . . and laugh some more!

It's time to get real ladies!  As married women, we all know that the deed happens . . . and sometimes, it's not even in our own home!  Hence the funny guest room pillow.  Some of us just might even be able to recall the very own child who was, uh-um, conceived elsewhere (blushing a little?).

So yeah, it happens.  Married couples dirty little secrets EXPOSED!  Just, always remember to thoroughly clean those sheets when your guests leave ; )

Whether or not you are married, dive into 1 Corinthians 7  right now for some great wisdom on sexual purity, single or married.

Better Late than Never! Christmas Pictures!

Ilijah's excited about celebrating Christmas! 

New dinosaurs!

Snowman pancakes at Meme's house.

Bella looking forward to her breakfast, Ivangeline 

still a little sleepy, and Meme cooking in the background.

Even the dinosaurs got in on the goodness.

Now for some good 'ol gingerbread decorating!

Ilijah delegating to Bella.

Tada!

The finished product.

Some quick shots taken in front of Nana and Papa's red barn.

These "set up and run into" shots are not my forte. Ha

The only shot she would let me get.

Again, not my forte, but hey, we have to get one together at least once in a while.

I did get quite a few good ones of Bella, but . . . this one is still my favorite.

And Imaani baby.

Notice Jacob's hand keeping her from rolling down the hill?

Cousins sporting their new jammers at Nana and Papa's.

Cute little booties.

Back at Meme and Poppee's house, the cousins are enjoying a dream light party!

Bella-boo about to fall asleep with her penguin.

My niece, Hannah, trying to feed me mid shoot. Cute!

Imaani, Daddy, and Poppee enjoying some rest time.

Merry Christmas!

God's Green Gardens

I am so thankful to present this video to you today.  I was blessed and humbled by what was shown to me through this film.  If you can take the time to sit down and watch this through, it will not disappoint.  I am thrilled at the amount of information I received about gardening and about the way they so thoroughly tie in the gospel at the very same time.  Please click on the picture below to watch the full length film and enjoy!

http://www.backtoedenfilm.com

Little Confession . . .

Every week, I grab a bulletin at church with utmost excitement!  Why, you ask?  Because I absolutely LOVE reading about the brand new beautiful babies born that week.  Each one is such a blessing to me.  I also know that this is one more life joining our church and another family doing their best to guide a new little life in the way of the Lord.

A word of encouragement for Mommies, Daddies, & the young ones (Your lives were planned & He will provide and protect according to His will) :

Jeremiah 1

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. ² The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.^[a] 3 The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August^[b] of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.

Jeremiah’s Call and First Visions

⁴ The Lord gave me this message:

⁵ “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
    Before you were born I set you apart
    and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

⁷ The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸ And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”⁹ Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
¹⁰ Today I appoint you to stand up
    against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
    destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
    and plant.”

¹¹ Then the Lord said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?”

And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.”

¹² And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching,^[c] and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”

¹³ Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, “What do you see now?”

And I replied, “I see a pot of boiling water, spilling from the north.”

¹⁴ “Yes,” the Lord said, “for terror from the north will boil out on the people of this land. ¹⁵ Listen! I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken!

“They will set their thrones
    at the gates of the city.
They will attack its walls
    and all the other towns of Judah.
¹⁶ I will pronounce judgment
    on my people for all their evil—
for deserting me and burning incense to other gods.
    Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands!

¹⁷ “Get up and prepare for action.
    Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.
Do not be afraid of them,
    or I will make you look foolish in front of them.
¹⁸ For see, today I have made you strong
    like a fortified city that cannot be captured,
    like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.
You will stand against the whole land—
    the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.
¹⁹ They will fight you, but they will fail.
    For I am with you, and I will take care of you.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Today's Little Piece of Happiness

What am I excited about today?



ORGANIC FLOUR TORTILLAS!



It wasn't easy to find them, but seeings how this is a staple food in our family . . . I fought hard to find them!

Though I loved trying out our very own homemade organic flour tortillas, I have yet to perfect them, and let's not lie, the store bought ones are good to go.  We will continue to try to pursue the tranquil terrific tortilla, but until then, I am thrilled to have my store bought organic ones : )

You can find them at your local Fresh Market @ $2.99. Enjoy!

Finger Lickin' Good - Family Cinnamon Toast Coffee Cake

2 Tb Melted Butter

1 c Warm Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

Mix together & blend in:

2 c Flour

1 c Sugar

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

Bake 20 min @ 350

Cover w/ melted butter & sprinkle cinnamon & sugar

We like ours a tad bit thinner, so we add just a bit more milk.

ENJOY 

Family Pics

Bella Update

As my little Bella's second birthday approaches, I am giddy about the changes I have seen in her even just over the past month as she grows in to toddlerhood.  Here are a few highlights about my little BellaBoo:

- She is so much girlier than her mom, but it is so fun for me!

- She has a new obsession with all things horses

- She loves makeup and purses and sparkly shoes (shoes in general)

- Whenever we dress her, she always has to spin and show us how pretty she is

- She has decided to take on potty training herself, and she is doing an amazing job at it!

- She copies almost everything her older brother does, but in such a girly & petite way

- When she is on the potty and I ask her if she is done, she says "Not quite yet" or "Still poopin, Mom" just like Ilijah does only in a little soft precious voice

- She tries to manipulate Ilijah and Daddy by wrapping them around her little pinky . . . and it often works, with Dad at least

- This girl will eat almost anything and especially loves meat.  You would never look at her and guess that she eats as much as she does with as little as she is.

- Ivangeline is not far from her in size.  In fact, we have already begun to mix up their clothes a time or two.  The sad thing is that Bella still fits in a majority of Ivangeline's clothes.

- Bella loves her dresses.  She will do anything in a dress.

- She loves to go shopping with her momma, but then misses the rest of her family about an hour into shopping.

- She hates to be away from her Family.  Whenever anyone leaves, she bursts into tears.  This has been a source of frustration a time or two as we have been called to come and get her from class on Sundays.  But we love our time together as much as she does.

- She LOVES her sleep.  She has no problem taking time out for sleep, and she knows when she is ready.  She will even grab her blanket and head to her room herself if need be.

- She is quirky in every sense of the word. She has the cutest little oddness about her.

- In that same sense, she is 100% her momma's girl.  Jacob loves seeing me in her.  I often have to ask if that is a bad thing and if there are things we need to work on.

- She likes to smother you with kisses when you are disciplining her.

- She is a snuggler.  She gets that from her aunty whom is appropriately named "Snuggles".

- She learns fast as she watches Ilijah.

- She wants to be a teenager.

- She is ready to play volleyball already, and this momma is happy!

- At times she doesn't like having her picture taken, but she loves seeing the pictures when I do manage to catch her in the mood. (one time she even took a swipe at the camera, and I have never seen her do anything like that)

- She is feisty!

- She loves to talk and sing and pray.

- Her favorite song to sing is "Jesus Loves Me"

- She can say her "ABC's", count to ten & count every other number.

- She has named her stuffed horse "Dean" (Not sure where that came from, but I love it)

- She likes to color.

- She eats much and drinks little, which is the opposite of her brother.

- She likes to bite my ear as a silly sign of affection.

- She is traditionally shy around others, but is not innately a shy person.  The girl can get crazy.

- She is a dancer, and you can often find her dancing and singing "Shake it, Shake it"

- She is a little mess of energy.

- The child is messy when she eats, but tidy when it comes to cleaning up.

- We have to work with her the most on selfishness.  Her brother is a bit more tender hearted than she is.

- She has the most captivating blue eyes.

- Her smile will literally melt your heart.

The Lord has blessed us abundantly with this little one.  And I just love watching her grow.  Can't wait to see how the Lord uses her for His Kingdom one day!

Whoop Whoop!

Yeah, you can here me yelling that across the store along with a mild happy dance as the cashier hands me my booty.  This was the setting of the scene playing out yesterday at CVS.  My husband could hardly believe it when I came home with 4 new tooth brushes and a candy bar for only . . . oh wait, they paid me $2 to take this from them????  Yes, you heard me correctly.  I was paid $2 to shop!  What is even crazier is that I should've paid them $24.85 for the whole thing.

Now, if you are like my husband and can't seem to wrap your mind around why I would need 4 toothbrushes at once when I already have like 8 more at home, then let me explain what we couponers refer to as stockpiling.

It is not just the fact that they are paying me to take items from them.  It is not because I am a hoarder.  If you really know me, you know that I am FAR from being a hoarder . . . typically I am on the other end.  As a matter of fact, I would rather do without, if it meant a clean and happy home.  Alas, I digress.  Let's get down to the nitty gritty.


Stockpiling 101 -

How you stock pile.

           Collect coupons and use them only when you know you are getting that item at the very lowest possible.
           Use as many coupons as they will allow you, or as many as you have, and purchase a bundle of the same item at its lowest cost.
           Designate a specific area of your home to organize and store your stock pile.


Why you stock pile.

           Most of you are wondering why on earth you would ever need to purchase so many of the same items at once.  You don't need those items at this very moment.  Aren't you spending alot of your grocery budget on one item?  Well, the answer is that I do not need all of those items at this very moment, but I will in the future.  And, no, I am probably spending the same amount of money on multiples of that one item as I would have on a single purchase of that same item at full price.  The purpose of stockpiling is to never have to pay full price for items that you and your family need.

So, the next time our family needs new toothbrushes, we just go to our stock pile instead of having to go to the store and pay the $5.99 they were worth.  Trust me when I say that this is a habit that will bless your family abundantly!