My Hand In God's Hand

I've Created a New Blog

2010-07-27T21:21:00.002-04:00

Since I don't want to pay for a website to advertise my totes, I've decided to create a blog. I must admit that navigating all of the blog features has me frustrated, but at least the layout is cute! Check is out here:
http://www.archandmadetotes.blogspot.com/

I will post any new designs I come up with and use the attached email address (archandbags@yahoo.com) specifically for questions and orders.

Please stop by often (you can even subscribe) and let me know what you think. Send the link to family and friends for Christmas gifts!

Thanks for your support!

God Amazes Me

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hello blog world! This last week has been an amazing one! If you read this post: (http://myhandingods.blogspot.com/2010/07/part-2-conditions-of-mind) you know that I have been praying about the decision to go to work part-time insead of full-time. WELL......God gave me a job!!!! Yes, that is right, He did it!

I have been searching for months and nothing has worked out. The funniest story I have to tell is that I applied for a part-time teller position and, with over 10 year banking experience, I was told I was not a candidate. Very humerous! I had to take an online assessment test and for some reason I am not any good at those tests. :)

Anyway, I texted a friend I go to church with about the medical practice she manages. She told me she would check and see if she had any part-time work available. On Tuesday, she texted me a few questions and then told me to call her. We talked and she said they need someone for a project that will last till the end of the year and in the mean time I could be trained to work the front desk. At the end of the project, I would transfer into a part-time position as a receptionist for one of the doctors. She told me she would talk to whomever she needed to at work and get back with me. Within two hours, I got a text that the job was a go!

That is amazing in itself because I did NOTHING! I simply asked and God provided. But, more amazing than that miracle, is that God didn't just give me what I needed, He gave me what I wanted! I wanted to work 8 - 2, M-F and make a certain amount per hour. This way I can be off before my boys get out of school and I will be available to pick them up or take them where they need to go. This job will allow me to work those hours and the hourly pay is more than I was asking for. I am beyond excited and am giving God ALL the glory! Thank you God for loving me so much!

Thanks to all my "Ladies Coffee Night" girls who have kept me in your prayers! You are all so precious to me and I am so thankful you are in my life! Love you!

A Gift for a Teenage Girl

2010-07-22T23:05:00.000-04:00

My boys are invited to a Birthday Party for a friend from their youth group. The Birthday person is a girl and I only have boys so this was a fun opportunity for me to create something fun and girly. She is turning 13 and the fabric below is exactly what I thought of when I was trying to figure out what she would like.

I made her a mini tote with a wristlet band and a larger tote to match. I think they turned out so cute! My DH asked me if I wanted to keep them, but I must admit I am a bit old to have purple skulls with cross bones!

This view shows the inside cell phone pocket. Just what a girl needs, don't you think?

If you are interested in ordering such a gift for a special girl in your life, I will be happy to take orders. The mini tote with the wristlet is $12.50 and the larger tote is $15.00. You can get both for $25.00. Just shoot me an email.

Thanks for stopping by!

Recap Continued

2010-07-22T07:43:00.000-04:00

Chapter 11: A Doubtful and Unbelieving Mind
Joyce Meyer explains that doubt and an unbelieving mind are two different things! Matt. 14:31 says: "...O you of little faith,why did you doubt?" This scripture helps me associate doubt with a lack of faith. I think this brings it into perspective for me. I can doubt and not feel too bad, but to know that when I doubt I am lacking faith, that hits me a little harder. How about you?

Joyce goes on to explain that, "doubt causes a person to waiver between two opinions, whereas unbelief leads to disobedience." WOW! That is powerful. So, when I doubt, I don't have enough faith in God and when I have unbelief, I am disobeying God. This is a powerful tool the enemy uses against all of us and we need to do our part to combat it!

The example of Abraham is a great one. He never doubted that God would increase his family. Sarah did, but Abraham didn't. Sarah's unbelief lead to disobedience, but Abraham held onto God's promise and his faith was increased! James 1:5-7 sums it up perfectly. We are to ask God for wisdom without doubt (in faith) and He will freely give. Faith is the key!

Because I am an analytical person, doubt and unbelief comes easy to me. I am not so hard that I don't allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me, but I'm sure I make it harder than others! I am so thankful that God is a patient God and that He loves me so much! My goal is to hide His Word in my heart so that when doubt and unbelief creep in, I can battle them with God's Word, the ultimate weapon! This is the only course of action I can clearly see and I BELIEVE it is the right one!

Part 2: Conditions of the Mind

2010-07-19T07:49:00.000-04:00

I don't think I realized how far I had gone in "Battlefield of the Mind" without posting. I ended talking about chapter 7 and now I am on chapter 15. Here is a recap (it may be long) of Part 2 and how it has affected my life.

First of all, the title for Part 2 is very significant for me. I think the condition of my mind is my main obstacle. As I read these chapters, God is speaking to me and I am just soaking in His wisdom and presence.

Chapter 8: When is my Mind Normal?
Joyce Myer explains that a busy mind is abnormal while a rested mind is normal. Wow, I think I have an abnormal mind! All the things a normal mind should not be filled with (reasoning, worry , anxiety, fear) are the things my mind dwells on WAY too much. 1 Kings 19:11-12 explains that God's voice is a still small voice. If I am to hear His voice, my mind need to be at rest, not busy where God has to compete for a place! My mind should be peaceful and alert so that my mind and my spririt can be in balance. This is my prayer Lord, that you will help me in this area. This is a tough one. Life seems to big at times that keeping my mind at rest is the last thing I think about. I think this is why I love being in the presence of God at church so much, that is a place without distractions where I can put my mind at rest and stay alert to hear God's Spirit filling and speaking to me.

Chapter 9: A Wandering, Wondering Mind
Lack of concentration is caused by a wandering mind. As a mother, this should be normal right? Too many things going on at once. But Joyce Myer explains that this is NOT normal and can be changed with some practice. This chapter made me think of #1 and his issues with academics. After struggling through elementary school, we decided to place him on medicine to help him to concentrate rather than have his mind wander during class. Praise the Lord that he only had to take it for 6 months and now he is in Middle School and is doing great. But it made me think about the fact that the mind is a powerful tool that CAN be trained with God's wisdom and guidance! It isn't easy but it can be done! Joyce explains that instead of wondering, I should think positive about every situation! In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus tells us that whatever we ask for in prayer and BELIEVE (not wonder) that it will be granted to you. Wondering brings forth doubt (that is talked about in another chapter). I want a mind that can concentrate on the task at hand, especially when it comes to godly things; and I want to think positive instead of wondering about things in my life and my families lives!

Chapter 10: A Confused Mind
James 1:5-8 shows me that I have an invitation from God to ask for wisdom and guidance. But, I cannot ask and "wonder" if He will do it! I have to believe or it is for nothing! God does not respect a doubtful, confused mind. This chapter spoke to my situation personally. It explains that reasoning can lead to confusion. I have a very antilitical mind and reasoning comes very natural for me. I do believe this hinders me from receiving from God sometimes! Right now, DH and I are at a place in our lives that is unknown territory. My desire to put my family first has made me want to look for part-time work. We cannot afford for me to work part-time so after much prayer and communication, we have decided to put our house up for sale and I can start looking for part-time work. Our money issues (large amount of debt) are sin that we have allowed ourselves to get in over our heads. We have asked God to forgive us and help us to change our ways. We are trusting God that although this season of our lives will be a trial, we will not be alone and his grace is sufficient!

The struggle for me is wanting to make sure this decision is not a selfish one. I DO NOT want it to be all about what I want! Yes, I am unhappy at my job, but I truely believe that it is more than that. I can try to get another full-time job if that is what I need to do! But when I think about being available to take my boys to their sporting events and fixing my family supper each night, I have a peace. I feel this is what I should be doing as a mother. When I think about the financial implications and reason that this is a crazy idea, I get anxious. This chapter showed me that following the spirit doesn't always make sense in the natural. I believe that in the end, this decision will bring my family closer together, my marriage closer. As I continue to take this issue to God in prayer, I continue to ask God to show me if this decision is purely selfish or a leading of His spirit. Proverbs 3:5 tells me to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, but in all my ways acknowledge Him and He will direct my paths. In this time of change, this is my prayer Lord!
I will continue this later!

Check out this Giveaway!!

2010-07-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2010/07/silhouette-digital-cutting-tool-review.html

Check out the giveaway at Little Birdie Secrets. This is the coolest machine! Check out all the things it can do in the picture above. Enter and let me know if you win!

Think About What Your Thinking About

2010-07-07T14:17:00.000-04:00

Today, the title above is the title for this chapter. It was full of Scripture so I decided that for this post I would just list the Scriptures I choose to meditate on:

Psalm 143:4-5 (NLT)
"I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear. I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done." (David is speaking and in the midst of his trial, he chooses to think on all the good things God has done! What an awesome example of what we should do as Christians!)

Philippians 4:8 (NKJ)
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (emphasis mine)

Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJ)
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaves also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." (emphasis mine)

Romans 12:2 (NKJ)
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Joshua 1:8 (NKJ)
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Thank you Lord for Your Word and the power that is in it. I pray that everyone who reads this post will be blessed by Your Word! In Jesus Name I pray, amen!

Mind-Binding Spirits

2010-07-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

In Chapter 6 (Battlefield of the Mind), Joyce Myers talks about mind-binding spirits and how this has affected her in the past. It affected her by making her doubt what God wanted her to do with her life and ministry. Essentially, it equates to DOUBT. Yes, I must admit, I have this problem. I guess I've just never named it. Now that I have a name, I will have a battle plan!

There are times in my life when I even doubt my belief in Christianity. It is crazy, I know! I know Jesus is real, He is in me! I know what He has done in my life and that I couldn't live without Him; however when I am faced with trials or have discussions with those who know theology more than me and I feel inadequately equipped, doubt creeps in. It is part of a sinful world, no doubt (pun not intended)!

So here is my battle plan: I will memorize John 8:31-32 which tells me that if I follow Christ, I am His disciple and that His truth will set me free. If I speak His Word (the truth), then I will be set free from the doubting thoughts and mind-binding spirits! I will memorize Romans 8:26 so that when I do not know what to pray (specifically), I can rely on the fact that the Holy Spirit will intercede for me. What an awesome promise! When I am weak, He is strong!

Thank you God for the truth in Your Word! Thank you that it is my weapon in this battle with my mind. Thank you that you are transforming me and I can already feel the battle taking place. Thank you that the battle is already won and You are the victor! I give You ALL the glory!!

Swimsuit Tote

2010-07-03T15:52:00.001-04:00

I completed a new project today and I am very excited about it. The idea has been mulling around in my head for a while and I am very pleased with the result. It is a swimsuit tote. When you are done swimming and need to change, you don't want your wet suit to get everything else wet, so you can put it in this insulated bag. You could fit a towel if you squeeze it in! It measures 17 1/2 in. long and 9 1/2 in. wide.

I cut out individual letters from a stencil kit I purchased, reinforced them with fusible interfacing and then sewed each one on. I love the way it turned out.

The inside is waterproof!

It has a convient handle that you can place on your wrist so it is essentially "hands free"!

I am making these totes available for $25.00 with a week's notice to create. I do not have any inventory as this is my first one but I do plan on working on more so if you will email me, I can send you pictures when I am done. If you are interested in me creating one for you, please email me your favorite colors and we will work something out!

hattcomo@yahoo.com

Little By Little

2010-07-01T11:31:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Today, Chapter 4 was titled "Little By Little". It was an encouragement against discouragement! Ha, that sounds funny :)

Last night was a test, and I failed miserably! DH called to see if an item he ordered was in because we had time to pick it up and he had received a call the day before that this item would be in today. Well, it wasn't in yet! I know how DH is controlled by his circumstances so right away I shift into gear and try to make the situation seem better than it is. Well, y'all, I crashed and burned!!

You see, he was upset at how the customer service lady handled the conversation while he argued that he had received a call yesterday that the item would be in today. He was not pleased with her attitude and I tried to defend her (even though I was not the one talking to her, can you imagine?). Things went down hill from there!

We went out to dinner since we had no boys (yay!) and I was upset at myself; too upset to enjoy our time together. I had appologized, but still felt very guilty. I prayed this morning that it didn't even occur to me what thoughts I should have taken captive last night, however one thing from the chapter that really did stick out is that my pride was in the way! In Deuteronomy 7:22, God's people learn that God will clear out the land little by little so that the "beasts" of the field will not overcome them. The "beast" for me last night was my pride.

You see, God is so smart :) He clears the way slowly so we cannot let pride rise up and let us take the credit for what is happening in our lives! I do know that sometimes God does spontaneous things but most of the time we, as Christians, have to go through a process. This is the way God makes sure we know it's HIM and not us that is creating the changes. Another Scripture from this morning is James 1:4 - "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." God allows perseverance to mature us!

I have learned that I am not condemned (Romans 8:1) as long as I walk by the Spirit! So, have I learned my lesson? Maybe! I do know that it is a process and I thank God that His mercies are new every morning and for His grace!

Whew, I feel like I have been all over the place in this post! I hope you see that my heart is full and that is a great thing. I am enjoying all the scriptures and am amazed at how the Holy Spirit is bringing them to life so that I can understand and apply them to my life! I am so excited about posting my journey through "Battlefield of the Mind"! Not only to share with you about what God is doing in my life, but to help keep me accountable and to have a reference to look back on in the future!

I pray that God will do something wonderful in your life today :)

Don't Give Up

2010-06-30T11:27:00.000-04:00

I was blessed (by a member of my monthly prayer group) with a copy of Joyce Myers' book "Battlefield of the Mind" and have begun reading it during my morning devotion time. I am on Chapter 3 and the title is "Don't Give Up". This is perfect for me when it comes to life in general. When I get too overwhelmed or when life gets too hard, I want to GIVE UP! It is my way out, or so it seems.

The scripture that I am holding onto from this chapter is Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you." (NKJ)

What encouragement that no matter what live brings, God is with me! He will not let me drown or get burned. This is encouragement for me. I am trying to lean on God's Word more so that I can take control of what my mind wants me to do! My mind is my battlefield and I am confident that with God's Word, I am more than a conqueror! The victory has already been won! Christ has defeated the enemy and I have the power of Christ in me! Praise the Lord!

New Mini Tote

2010-06-21T13:25:00.001-04:00

Hello all! I know it's been a LONG time since I've been here and I've missed you. I am happy to announce that I sewed a new project I found in my bloggy search. You can check it out here: http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2010/06/scrappy-clutch.html

This little baby is 7 inches tall, 6 inches at the top and 8 1/4 inches at the bottom. The wristlet is 5 inches. I have many more cut out and will be sewing all week since my big boys are away at camp.

They are available for purchase for $12.50.

Thank you for coming by to visit!

1st Time Playing Soccer

2010-03-29T19:01:00.004-04:00

My #3 has never participated in any sports. I think because he is the youngest and his brothers are so active in school sports, this was on over sight on DH and my part. So, this year we asked him if he wanted to play soccer. His oldest brother plays soccer and so #3 knows a little about the game. We signed him up with our local YMCA.

This is #3 at practice. The weather was COLD for me, that is why he is wearing a sweatshirt! Yeah, I'm his mama!

This is him in his uniform. He looks so cute and yet so big!

Getting warmed up on game day with his team. He is #2, but you can't see it in this picture.

This is one of the better moments in the game. Can you see him? Almost, right?!?! This is his first time playing so he really doesn't understand and really doesn't care. But the coach said he has "heart" so I guess that is a good thing! I hope as his team practices more, he will understand the game and really try to play right!

New Glasses

2010-03-28T18:59:00.000-04:00

My #2 recently got glasses. This is a long time coming and I felt very guilty that his eyes were kinda bad due to me not taking him to an Eye Doctor when the school first told me to. Boy, I felt like a bad parent. This time, I got a note from the school again (last time he was in the 2nd or 3rd grade and now he is in 6th) so I told him I was going to take him. The last time we had this conversation, years ago, he was VERY opposed to getting glasses but thankfully this time, he was excited.

He came home from school early due to a headache (he is my headache child and has always had more than my other two! Go figure, that should have told me to get his eyes checked, duh!) so I decided to make him an appointment that day. The doctor was very nice and told me she went through the same thing with her daughter. I told her about the notice from the school years ago but I figured he wasn't doing bad in school so he was ok. She said the same thing went through her mind with her daughter.

Anyways, he is near sided and has a stigmatism, a little bit from both his Father (near sided) and myself (a stigmatism) and she wants to see him again in 6 months. She thinks his sight will improve within that six months. When he picked up his glasses, the Eye Doctor asked him to look at the back of the store (we were in Wal-Mart) and then to take his glasses off and look at the back of the store. He was amazed at how bad his sight is!

Ok, here is the big reveal.....

Isn't he handsome?

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-22T08:47:00.004-04:00

Well, last week didn't exactly go as planned. We only ate about 3 of the 7 meals I had in my plan. I guess that means there is more food for later and that I can save money on grocery shopping!!

My boys had a sports banquet on Friday night and on Wednesday I got home too late to cook before going to church. I really need to work on my Wednesday night meals since I only have a few minutes at home with the boys before either I take them to church or we all go. Any ideas anyone?

Once again, the menu's below may not be eaten in the order listed but we will try to eat them this week :)

Monday - Fajitas, Beans, Mexican rice
Tuesday - Ravoli w/ alfredo sauce, salad & bread
Wednesday - Tamales, corn, beans
Thursday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie
Friday - Beef roast, pasta, veggie
Saturday - Teriyaki port chop stir fry, ramen
Sunday - Breakfast

For more menu ideas, visit http://orgjunkie.com/

I Feel Safe

2010-03-19T16:35:00.001-04:00

During Sunday School last week, we had a discussion about whether or not you would truly rely on God if you were in a tight spot, like losing your job. We often have discussions in Sunday School and although we have been going a while and I am getting to know the other couples, I am still guarded. You see, I attended a woman's small group at another church and on more than one occasion would leave feeling like I wasn't a "good enough" Christian after opening up during a discussion.

On Sunday, one of our leaders expressed how when we, as Christians, are faced with trials, will we really take God at his Word? She said that it's not that we don't believe what the Word says; we just think that we may be the exception to the rule and therefore will not have the faith to rely fully on God. Others agreed and no one chastised her for not having enough faith. It was so refreshing and I was uplifted to know that I can be real here in this class amongst these real people and God can do amazing things in all of our lives. I felt safe!

I sent her an email thanking her for being real and allowing me to feel comfortable in this environment. Because really, isn't that the point of coming together anyways? To uplift and help each other in our walk with Christ? She responded with gratitude for my comments and then told me she was glad DH and I are in the class.

I feel blessed in be involved with a group of people, a body, a church that is here to help this hurting world with love and encouragement. I know that I plan on being more open in the future and look forward to God teaching me and helping me to receive from others while I grow closer to them because of it!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-14T20:04:00.003-04:00

DH and I went shopping at ALDI late last week and got a lot for a little :) This was our first time shopping there and we liked what they had to offer. We will definately go back. Tonight we sat down and mapped out two weeks of meals so I can be prepared and ready to cook every night!

Monday - Ravoli w/ red sauce, salad, bread
Tuesday - Asian Meal: Tsotso chicken, egg rolls, fried rice & lomein
Wednesday - (church night) Fish Po Boys, seasoned fries
Thursday - Smothered pork chops, flavored noodles, veggie
Friday - Spaghetti & meatballs, salad, bread
Saturday - Beef roast, rice, veggie
Sunday - Hamburger Helper, veggie

The meals may not be eaten in the order above but we will be eating these meals this week! If you would like to see other menus, visit http://orgjunkie.com/ .

Home Schooling, Should I?

2010-03-12T17:00:00.002-05:00

Home schooling has always been close to my heart. I believe in the concept and think it is great. However, I do not think it is for everyone. I have tried it once and after meeting a wonderful lady a few weeks ago that home schools her 7 children (she currently has a couple that have graduated), it has come into my mind and I cannot get the idea out!

I talked to DH about my desire to be more available for my boys and that the stress of relying on others (and they are truly a blessing!) has been hard on me. We have decided that we would pray about me quitting my full-time job at the end of the summer. I will still need to work to purchase food and gas but DH's paycheck would pay for essentials. I may have the opportunity to nanny a little one but if that doesn't work out, I will look for work outside the home a couple days a week during "Mom" hours.

What does this have to do with home schooling you ask? Well, I have brought up the subject to my boys and we have agreed to attend the Curriculum Fair here in Chattanooga in late July. DH isn't sure if this is a good idea since the last time I home schooled, it was very stressful! I explained that there were many, many, many factors that contributed to that stress. It was my FIRST year, I was miles away from my friends that were home schooling and didn't have the funds to meet up regularly; I did not know the intranet could be such an information outlet as well as a network through blogs, and on and on. Oh, and I was pregnant!!

So in light of all this pondering, I have been asking myself why I want to try this again. The first thing that comes to mind is that home schooling would be convenient. I know, this is NOT a good reason to home school and I am working that out in my mind!! The next thing is that I will be able to focus on my boy’s spiritual growth more. I would be able to schedule structured time for them to study and worship and pray. I will be there to help them when they have questions or are in situations that are confusing. Another reason is the flexibility for them to be involved in activities including volunteering. We recently volunteered (DH and I) at the Creative Discovery Museum and learned that they have a youth volunteering program for home schoolers as well as those in school. I have researched the local home school organization and see all the opportunities that are available for kids and it excites me.

The cons for my boys include being able to participate in sporting activities since they are very involved. But, the local home school group offers sports, just not all of them. They want to see their friends but I know they will have the opportunity to make new friends through scheduled get together’s with other home schoolers. They will miss out on school trips but I see that they will have the opportunity to be more involved in church activities where they can take mission trips which to me is more important anyways.

Ok, I think I'm done for now. I needed a place to write down my thoughts before they drove me crazy. What do you think?

[Oh and Mom if you are reading this, I was going to talk to you about this at some point but I guess now there's no time like the present :)]

Breakfast for Church

2010-03-10T08:58:00.002-05:00

DH and I voluntered to cook for our Sunday School class. I had fun spending a day baking! Here is what I did!

I made a blueberry sour cream pound cake a puff pastry filled with eggs, sasuage, potatoes and cream cheese. I made two of each and froze them for my girl's get together the next weekend (which I posted about before this, sorry!)

This was the star! I made a sugar cookie as large as a pizza. I covered it with cream cheese and sugar combined and then placed the fruit on. It was great! I will definately make this again!

Blueberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

from "Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer" by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, & Bonnie Garcia

nonstick cooking spray

3T dry bread crumbs

4 C flour

1/3 t. salt

1 1/2 C light sour cream

1 t. baking sod

3/4 c butter, softened

2 3/4 C sugar

2 t. vanilla

3 eggs

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 C blueberry, fresh or frozen

Yield: One 10 inch tube cake or two medium loaf pans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10 inch pan or two medum loaf pans with cooking spray and dust with bread crumbs. In medium bowl, stir together flour and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and baking soda; stir well. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add lemon juice and beat 30 seconds. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beating at low speed. Begin and end this process with flour mixture.

Fold blueberries into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 dgrees for 70 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack: remove from pan.

Breakfast Strudel

from "Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer" by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, & Bonnie Garcia

4 frozen puff pastry sheets
11 eggs
2 T. fresh chives or green onions, chopped (optional)
2 T. unsalted butter
1 C frozen hash brown potatoes (I used fresh potatoes)
1 C red and/or green bell peppers, diced (optional)
1 C sasuage, browned (turkey, pork or beef)
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T. water

Yield: 4 strudels

Thaw pastry sheets to room temperature, about 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, wish eggs and chives (or green onions) together. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and peppers; saute 5 minutes. Add sasuage and blend. Add egg mixture to the skillet and scramble just until set. Season with salt and pepper. Take egg mixture off burner and stir in cream cheese. Cool.

Unfold each pastry sheet onto a piece of waxed or parchment paper that has been lightly dusted with flour. Trim the pastry on the left and right corners in a downward angle. Make up to 10 slits at a downward angle on the left and right sheets. Spread the egg filling down the center, dividing the mixture between each pastry sheet. Braid the pastry sheet. Mix remaining egg and water together. Brush each strudel with egg mixture. Wrap each strudel in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil, and freeze.

On serving day, thaw strudel. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place strudel on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Sugar Cookie Fruit Tart
From Cooks.com

Make a cookie tart from recipe below
1 8oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 C fruit

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a small mixter bowl until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled cookie tart or crust within 1/2 inch of edge. Arrange fruit as desired on top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Slice into wedges.

Sugar Cookie Recipe
by allrecipes.com

2 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Roll dough into a tart pan or onto a pizza sheet Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as we did!!

Girl's Saturday Get Together

2010-03-09T20:43:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to say that my idea for a girl's get together finally happened! I organized a time of food, fellowship and God's Word and although I invited around 6 women, only 2 showed up and it was amazing. I am so glad that God is in control when I try to do something!

This was the table setting. I wanted to put a table cloth and place mats but I didn't have any so this is the best I could do! I think it turned out well!

Here is the food! I baked two of each of these for our Sunday School class the week before (gotta love the cook it and freeze it cookbooks!). I made a blueberry sour cream coffee cake and a puff pastry filled with eggs, sasuage, potatoes and cream cheese. They were DELICIOUS!

Here were the gifts. I had so much fun sewing these totes and the girls were able to choose the one they wanted. They were excited which made me happy!

I decided to do a devotion on Friendship since this was our first meeting and I knew I was meeting with women I really didn't know that well yet. I decided to open with a candy ice breaker. It was fun and we learned new things about each other. Then we did a "friendship" survey to find out what kind of friend we are. Then I referenced a devotion from the Faith Lifts devotion site about the relationship that Mary and Elizabeth had and how Mary ran to Elizabeth's house when the angel told her she was pregnant with the Lord in Luke 1:38-56. Then she stayed with Elizabeth for three months. The relationship they must have had for Mary to choose Elizabeth to go to at a time when she was even unsure of what was happening tells me that she trusted Elizabeth. I want someone who I can run to when I need a trusting ear and heart.

I believe God has opened a door for the women in this group to grow closer to each other and God. To keep each other accountable and encourage each other in tough times. To celebrate with each other. I am so excited to see what the future holds!!

Relationships

2010-02-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

I told my DH that I would not post this story but it is just too good not to!! In the future, this could turn out to be quite embarassing, but sometimes that is just what parents do, right?

Ok, here is the story: I was in my local supermarket one evening this week and I spotted one of the cheerleaders from my boy's middle school. I know this girl because last year she had a crush on #1. As I approached the check out, her Mom told me she needed to ask me a question. She wanted to know if I would allow #1 to go to the 8th grade dance with her daughter. I must admit, I did know a little history of this situation and you will learn it as the story continues.

I told this Mother that #1 did not want to go to the dance with her daughter because he had a girlfriend and did not want to hurt his girlfriend's feelings (I do not condone my boys having girlfriends but have learned that I can not prevent it either. That said, I try to inforce that God created my boys to like girls and that is natural. However, the rules in our home state that my boys are not allowed to talk to girls on the phone, hold their hands or kiss them. In my eyes, then why have a girlfriend????). I was then informed by this girl that #1 and his girlfriend have broken up (WHAT?). I did inform them that I find out all my information through one of #1's friends Mom's and that I did not that #1 and his girlfriend had broken up.

The Mom then asked me again if #1 could go to the dance with her daughter. I did proceed to tell them that I was aware that this girl asked #1 to go. Her response was, "I didn't ask him." Hmmmm...interesting! I asked her if she gave a note to #1 asking him to the dance and she agreed that she had. I then told her that when I asked #1 about this (I learned this information from his friends Mom, remember?) he told me he threw the note away without reading it because he knew what it was going to say and he did not want to go to the dance with her.

The Mom again asked me if I would allow #1 to go (she is very persistant!). I told her that #1's Dad and I had discussed it. I told her that I didn't want him to go but that his Dad thought it was ok so we would have to discuss it some more and #1 would have to let her know. This whole conversation was quite comical!

When I got home, I decided to talk to #1 in private (as not to embarrass him infront of his brother) about his love life. I told him I had seen this girl in the store and about our conversation. I asked him about the break-up with his girlfriend. He confirmed that they had broken up. When I asked why, he said she broke up with him because he was BORING!

HA! I was so excited to hear this I put my hands up for a high five (two of them actually)! At this point, #1 was very confused as to why I was so excited! I told him that I was so proud that he was boring because if he wasn't then that would mean that he was paying too much attention to the girl and probably doing things he shouldn't be doing. He still looked at me kind of funny but it didn't matter because I was so proud!!!

We ended the conversation with me telling him he shouldn't worry about girls anyways and he agreed! He even told his best friend that he didn't want a girlfriend and just wanted to concentrate on hanging out with his friends. Wow, we might actually be doing something right in this game of parenting!!

Being Faithful

2010-02-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

I attended church last night, this is not a usual for me on Wednesday nights. You see, I was there to attend a meeting for an outreach I am volunteering for. Unfortunately I missed the meeting but decided to stay so #3 could attend the kids program (it was his first time and he was very excited). I know that in Christ, there are no coincidences!

I walked into the sanctuary late but at just the right time for me. The pastor was talking about how people always want to quit when things get hard. This is SO me. Christians are so easy to quit their marriage, their church, their job when the going gets tough. BUT God blesses faithfulness and will give us the strength to STAY (or stand Eph. 6:13) if we lean on Him.

This message came at a perfect time in my life. Luckly, I am in a good place in my marriage right now so that is not the area I needed encouragement in but I struggle with discontentment and it usually affects the job I am in. There have been lots of changes at my job and it makes me unhappy at times and I tend to try to look for something different. But last night, I realized that if I stay (or stand) that I will receive the blessing that God has for me. I have NO doubt that God has placed me in this job (read this post: http://myhandingods.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-new-adventure.html) so I need to trust that He is in control and that he will get me through my bad days!

God has already begun to bless me in the relationships I am gaining at my job! This is something I could never do on my own, it is all from Him and I am so excited! I thank you God for the women you are placing in my life and what our future holds!

I hope this message touches you the way it touched me. I have already had the opportunity to bless someone with this message and hope that if your reading this post, that you are blessed too!

What Would You Do With Three Wishes?

2010-02-02T21:30:00.001-05:00

If I had three wishes, what would they be? I know the rule is that I cannot wish for more wishes. I remember Solomon in the Bible wished for widsom and he recieved so much more.....

I would wish for all my debt to be gone! I would love to have the opportunity to not HAVE to work to pay bills but rather work to enjoy what I am doing. I would love to be available for my boys and all the activities they are involved in!

I would wish for my husband to be healed and his body to be in good health. This would allow him to exercise the way he wants to and to lose the weight he is trying so hard to lose!

I would wish for my boys to find true love and happiness through God's leading. I want them to have a wonderful life full of laughter and success. That success doesn't need to include money or fame, but love and fulfillment.

Ok, those are my three wishes. How about you? What would you wish for?

Creative Writing

2010-02-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

I really do have a desire to blog regularly but I just can't seem to think of what to write. That is where this website comes into play: http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/

I found this when I searched for creative writing ideas and I am very excited about where it will take my blog and my writing skills in general. I hope this will help me gain more followers! I would love to hear your comments about what I am writing about!

So, see you soon with my first "Creative Writing" post!

Chicken Enchiladas

2010-01-22T11:21:00.002-05:00

I mentioned in a previous post that I had the privilege of taking food to a friend of mine that just had a baby. I love being able to give to others and it's just icing on the cake when what I give comes from what I love to do, cook!

I made chicken enchiladas, spanish rice, refried beans and a cappuccino cake with peanut butter frosting.

I don't have any photos to post but I can explain the process in case you would like to try it!

I cooked some chicken I had extra and when cool, I shredded it. I added taco seasoning to the chicken, added some rotel and set aside. I got an enchilada seasoning packet and followed the packet directions. To assemble, I took a flour tortilla, dipped it in the enchilada sauce and placed in a 9X13 baking dish. I filled the tortilla with the chicken mixture and some cheese and rolled it up. This step is repeated until the entire baking dish is full. Then I ladled the rest of the enchilada sauce over the entire dish and sprinkled it with cheese. It bakes in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until hot.

The rice was so easy and flavorful! I have to give credit to my bloggy friends for the recipe! I cooked instant rice in 1/2 chicken stock, 1/2 tomato sauce. When it was done, I added corn and seasoning. My DH loved it!

To make the refried beans, I purchased two cans of pinto beans, added cumin and salt and mashed in a electric mixer until slightly smooth. Then I cooked it on the stove in 1/4 c of oil. Season again to taste and eat. This was so easy and delicious that I think I will never purchase canned refried beans again :)

For the Cappuccino Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting, I have posted the recipe below. When I was at Wal-Mart looking for instant espresso powder, all I could find was cappuccino powder so that is what I used and thus changed the name.

Ingredients

For the coffee cakes:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for pans
1/2 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
2 sticks butter, softened, plus extra for pans
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, plus 2 yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions
Special equipment: Stand mixer and 4 (3/8-pound) mini loaf pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour mini loaf pans. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix together the sour cream and espresso until dissolved.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. On low speed, add half the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add half the sour cream and mix until combined. Repeat with remaining flour and sour cream. Pour into prepared loaf pans filling halfway with batter. Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
For the frosting: In stand mixer, mix together butter and peanut butter over medium high speed until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.
Top mini loaves with peanut butter frosting.

I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as my family did! Please let me know by posting a comment.

Coco Krispies

2010-01-21T08:51:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am one of those parents who let their children eat sugary cereal. I know it's terrible! So I will appologize up front!

However, the idea for this post is from something my 6 yr old came up with. I have Rice Krispies Cereal at home and he loves chocolate milk so he has decided that when he eats both of these items, he pours the chocolate milk (warm) into the cereal thus creating Coco Krispies. Pretty smart, huh?

Ok, this is my feel good post for today! Oh and the chocolate milk is made with Nesquick so it's kinda nutritional! I think you should try this too :)

101 Things in 1001 Days - Update

2010-01-20T08:00:00.004-05:00

It is a new year and so as I was scanning old posts, I remembered my "101 Things in 1001 Days" post and thought an update was in order, so here you go:

5. Grow our own herbs - We did this in the Spring but found that we didn't really use them. The only herb we used reguarly was the garlic chives I got from a friend. I don't know if we are going to plant these again.
36. Get an amazing camera - This I did! I got a Nokia that I love! I really need to post some updated pictures, I know :)
45. Be a blessing to others when I see a need and have the resource to fill it - This is something I want to be on-going, but I was able to provide a meal to a family that just had a baby and it felt so good!
47. Start a simple garden - We planted a garden in the Spring and had plenty of veggies. We were able to cook fresh produce and even give some to our neighbors. I look forward to doing this again this Spring.
54. Celebrate another year of marriage with DH - Marriage is HARD but I am happy to report that my DH and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary in 2009 and will soon celebrate our 17th! God is GOOD!
61. Have a family picture taken - We did this and even our dog was included. I will post soon, I promise!!
73. Make and deliver homemade Christmas gifts to all my neighbors- I did this this year and had SO much fun doing it! DH and #3 helped me! It was great being able to visit our neighbors as we delivered them just before Christmas! This will be a yearly tradition!
76. Keep up with garden for an entire growing season - I have to admit that our garden did get a little over grown at the end, but we kept up with it pretty much until the end. Now we will have to dig up the old when we plant the new this Spring!
86. Take dancing lessons with DH - Well, we took one dance lesson, does that count? It is just too expensive to take private lessons and we never went back to the classes. Life just seems to get too busy and in the way sometimes!

Ok, that is my update. Not bad, but not good either. I need to review these more often and try to complete more this year. The deadline is October 15, 2011.

Just A Question?

2010-01-19T12:04:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry it has been so long since I've written!! :(

Ever since my "new adventure" (http://myhandingods.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-new-adventure.html), I have just been too busy to do things I would like to. This has prompted me to ask the following question:

How many Christian Women in the Chattanooga area would be interested in starting a monthly Bible Study?

Let me give you some history....when I lived in S. Louisiana, I had a great group of girlfriends and we were not involved in a weekly Bible Study aside from Sunday and Wednesday's. So, we decided to start one ourselves. Now, I am attending a new church and loving it but just don't have time to attend any service except for Sunday and that doesn't give me a chance to make the bonding relationships I long for. Anyways, back to the history. We would come together on a Saturday once per month. The "Hostess" would prepare the lesson, breakfast or snack and a small gift that coinsided with the lesson. We would gather for a couple of hours and study, talk and pray for one another. There were four of us. It was a great time I looked forward to every month.

When I hosted, I prepared cookies for a cookie exchange. I prepared a study on marriage from a book I had in my personal library. I created prayer books out of composition books and scrapbook paper, sewed easy totes, purchased pretty file folders and pretty pens. It was our first meeting so I was setting up these packages to be the "kit" for our future meetings. It was really inexpensive and I had 30 days to prepare.

I shared this idea with one of the women in my current Sunday School class, but she already attends a morning Bible Study during the week. So I decided to put this on my blog and see if I get any comments from women who live in the Chattanooga area that I may or may not know. If I get responses from women I do not know, maybe we could meet at a public place first. Let me know what you think!!

Girlfriends

2009-09-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

I recently read a blog (http://momminitup.com/being-a-mom/connectedness/) about connecting with other women. This was my comment:

It is refreshing to hear someone put these feeling into words. I have lived in the city I’m in for over 2 years and still do not have the close friends I so desire and that I had at my previous residence. Reading your blog helps me to know that I am NOT crazy! Thanks for the encouragement and the hope that I can and “will” find others like me that I can connect with. I work full-time and as my boys get older, my life gets busier but girlfriends are SO important to me that I HAVE to make time for them! I hope you keep busy with many friend visits!

I was the 13th comment on this blog entry which tells me I am not alone! I guess I just needed to add an entry to my lonely blog that doesn't see me much and this is what was on my heart! Thanks to all those women that have touched my heart! Call me and we will get together soon!!

The Storm

2009-08-27T09:16:00.003-04:00

I read in Acts recently about Paul, when he was being transported to Rome by boat (of course by boat, that was the only form of transportation across water at that time!). While they were sailing, they ran smack dab into a hurricane. Now the ships crew began to panic. They started to throw their supplies over board and anything else they thought was heavy and unnecessary since they were sure they were going to die. During the storm, Paul speaks up and tells the crew that he had a dream (vision) from God and as long as everyone stayed on the boat, they would survive. If even one man jumped overboard, they were sure to perish, but if they all held on and stuck it out, they would survive. Then he told them to eat and sure enough they did shipwreck on an island, but not one man perished.

This is how life is at times and when I feel like jumping ship, I think of this passage and pray that God will help me to eat and wait until the boat comes to a stop. It may be a rough stop, even a shipwreck, but I will still be alive! I will have made it and I will know that I was protected through it all. I HATE the storms in life and lately it seems like the hurricane is stagnant, but if I look to His Word, I know that He will protect me if I keep my trust in Him. God please give me the strength I need, I pray!!

My New Adventure

2009-07-03T17:00:00.001-04:00

God is so amazing. I know you already knew that, but sometimes when you can see Him move in your life (at least me), you feel special and loved. Not that I don't feel loved by God, that isn't what I'm saying. Ok, this is coming out wrong. I just want to give glory to my God for the great thing He has done in my life!!!

Onto my adventure. Well, I have turned in my resignation at my current employer and am embarking on a new adventure. One that is very unfamiliar and outside of my comfort zone but God opened the door and I am happily walking thorough it with the confidence that if He knows I can do this then I can. I can do all things through Christ!!

Here is the story: On Monday I applied for an Admin. Asst. job I saw online. By the end of the day I received an email back stating there would be two interview times the next day. That was quick and it kinda made me nervous cause in my current job, the end of the month is the busiest and the date was June 30th. Thanks to God, it was no problem to duck out for a couple of hours and attend the 10 am session. It was a group interview with eight women including myself. Now, I've never been in a group interview before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The employer apologized for the group setting but explained that over 200 people applied for the job and since he needed someone soon, this was the easiest way he could see to weed people out. I can totally understand!

So the process took one hour of talking around a conference table and ended with a tour of the campus. The interview was enlightening, for me at least. I went into it thinking that I would love to have a job where I could multi-task and keep myself busy and walked out thinking this could be the kind of job that would make me feel as though I am helping the community and not just get a paycheck. It opened my eyes to see other opportunities for this fulfillment. I always figured I would have to work in a ministry setting or a church to feel as though my job was helping someone other than myself. Even with this revelation, I wasn't sure what the outcome would be. I felt there were women in the room that were more qualified and some that were less qualified. No one else had experience in the same industry as me.

I returned to work and received another email before the 3pm interview session. It said that I had made it to the next level and that he would like me to come in for a second interview. I was very excited and replied with a convenient time but also said that if that didn't work for him, then I could be flexible.

I left for the day and later that evening, I checked my email and had a reply from him. It stated that he wanted me to call him to have a discussion. I figured the time I gave him from the previous email was not good and we could reschedule so I told him such when I called him back. He said that was not the case and that he wanted ME for the position. Yes, you heard that right! No second interview, just come in to discuss salary and benefits and whether or not I would accept the position.

Now, this was crazy! I was in shock and really couldn't speak! When I could finally speak, all I could say was, "Thank you!" He had two GROUP interview sessions with who knows how many people and with NO second individual interviews he picked ME! Now, if that isn't God, I don't know what you would call it!

I went back to see him on Wednesday evening and accepted the position. I did ask him how many attended the 3 pm session and he told me 15. So out of 23 people, he picked ME. Yes, I think I am still in shock and am so thankful to God for giving me this opportunity! I will be embarking on a new adventure into uncharted territory for me, but I am confident and excited. I will start on Monday, July 13th.

Revival

2009-06-30T07:16:00.003-04:00

I am reading in Acts now and am on chapter 2. The is an evangelist coming to our church next week and we will be having a week long revival. How fitting that the Lord would have me to read this passage just before this revival!

Jesus has just ascended to heaven and as the disciples are gathered in the Upper Room for the Passover, the Holy Spirit descends upon them. Many witnesses are confused with the disciples speaking in others tongues yet every nationality that is in Jerusalem can understand what they are saying in their own native language. Peter decides to explain to them what is happening. He starts with a history lesson about prophesy of the last days. Then he talks about how David foretold the death and resurrection of Christ. He tells them that Jesus had to go so that the Holy Spirit could come. Many are touched by God and ask what they need to do to be saved. Peter lets them know that they need to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus but then he also warns them to save themselves from the corrupt generation. People, that is us today!! We are in a corrupt generation and we NEED to save ourselves from it. How do we do this? Well, just read the Scripture.

The passage goes on to say that the new believers began to meet daily to learn from the apostles. They meet and broke bread and prayed. They shared what they had with others so that no one was in need. They were HAPPY and enjoyed the favor of the people. God continued to add believers and the apostles did many miracles.

How I would love to be able to meet with my Christian friends daily to break bread and pray. This is what the early Christians did in order to save themselves from the corrupt generation. I hate that life is so BUSY! My desire for godly relationships stems from this idea of living in favor of people and saving myself from this world that tries to pull me in.

God, show me the way to these relationships. Help me to not be too busy to make time for fellowship and breaking bread and praying with fellow Christians. This is so important for the church today.

So in light of the upcoming revival, my prayer is that we don't just count the souls that are coming to God, but remember the relationship that MUST follow the salvation and repentance or else it really is almost for nothing. I pray that the church is ready for the discipleship and that God would prepare the hearts of those going out and those coming in for the life of discipleship and a life of living for Jesus!

Land's End Giveaway!

2009-06-23T21:38:00.004-04:00

There is a Land's End Givaway over at http://momminitup.com/blogging/gettin-giddy-with-it-and-sharing-the-love. Check it out and enter yourself to win one of three $100 gift cards. I am not currently a Land's End shopper but would love to become one!!

Blog Book Sale

2009-06-16T19:20:00.005-04:00

Welcome to my booksale

Thanks to Kristin at http://dancinginthemarginsblog.com/, I am a happy participant. I am a little early since it doesn't start until Thursday, but please preview what I have anyways!

Hello all! My blog is being difficult and will not allow me to post pictures so I created a movie (my first, I am so proud) to display the books I have for sale. Below you will find a list of the titles with descriptions and prices. All of the books are in excellent condition and have only been owned and read by me. Please email me (hattcomo@yahoo.com) if you wish to make a purchase and I will send you my PayPal information. The shipping cost per book will be $0.50.

Enjoy!

1. True Light by Terri Blackstock (hardback) & Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock (paperback)

Desc: This is book 3 & 4 in The Restoration Series. A crisis sweeps the entire planet back to the age before electricity. The Restoration Series follows the Branning Family and how they cope, will they hoard what they have or trust God to provide as their share?

Price: $10 for both books

2. Christmas Gifts from the Heart by Dolley Carlson (hardback)

Desc: SOLD

Price:

3. Tails of Love by vaious authors (paperback)

Desc: This book contains 4 stories where pets play matchmaker in modern love stories

Price: $3

4. When I am praising God by Anita Corrine Donihue (hardback)

Desc: Devotional thoughts on worship for women

Price: $3

5. Love Afloat by various artist (paperback)

Desc: Drifting hearts find safe harbor in 4 romantic novellas

Price: $3

6. Diary of God by Ron Rose (hardback)

Desc: SOLD

Price: SOLD

7. Prints Charming by Rebecca Seitz (paperback) & Sister's Ink by Rebecca Seitz (paperback) & Coming Unglued by Rebecca Seitz (paperback)

Desc: Prints Charming is the first novel by Rebecca Seitz that follow four women as they figure out life around a scrapbooking table. Sister's Ink and Coming Unglued are the first 2 books in the "Sister's Ink" series. They follow the lives of four sisters (not biological) and their journeys around their mother's scrapbook table. Book 3 is not currently out.

Price: all 3 for $15, each for $5

8. True Devotion by Dee Henderson (hardcover)

Desc: The man who killed her husband is back and the price of her new found love my be her life

Price: $4

9. Prayer Partners: Experience the Power of Agreement by Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock & The Crossings Circle of Prayer: A Journal for Your Journey (both hardback)

Desc: SOLD

Price: SOLD

10. Winner Take All by T. Davis Bunn (hardback)

Desc: A story of international intrigue involving a missing child and an embattled father who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Price: $4

11. Devotions for Debtors by Kristen Johnson Ingram (paperback)

Desc: SOLD

Price:

12. Thunder of Heaven by Ted Dekker (paperback)

Desc: This book is a Martyr's Song story spun from the events that happened at the end of WWII when a band of embittered soldiers played a cruel game with a peaceful village.

Price: $4

13. Montana by various artists (hardback)

Desc: a legacy of faith and love as the comforts of daily routine are threatened the characters will need to dig deep for a sustaining faith. Four novels in one book.

Price: $4

14. Does Your Man Have the Blues: Understanding Male Depression and How It Affects Your Relationship by Dr. David Hawkins (hardback-new)

Desc: see title above

Price: $3

15. Jimmy by Robert Whitlow (hardback-new)

Desc: A boy who is "special" is asked to testify as a defense witness during a criminal trial.

Price: $5

Relationships

2009-06-09T07:20:00.003-04:00

I read John 12 this morning and it is the chapter about Larazus but I saw so much more than that. When you read it, you can see how much Jesus loved this family. When He arrived in Judea and saw Mary weeping, He also wept. The Scripture says He was "deeply moved" by her and the mourners saddness. I see this as a rare look into the life of Jesus that I haven't really seen before.

In my life, relationships are so important and I try to hold onto them as best as I can. They are hard and take a lot of work but are so worth it. I found it comforting to see my Lord, in all that He was trying to accomplish during the short time He was on this earth, had taken the time to make some true relationships. I only hope that in my crazy, everyday life, that I can have the same results. I want the relationships that last a lifetime. The ones where I can be my true self and share my joys and saddnesses with.

Thank you Jesus for being a real example to me and opening my eyes to another view of who You are! I love you!!

Story Tote

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

I have had the itch to sew and gifts to give so this is my latest creation. It is a story tote. It tells the story of Noah's Ark.

This side shows the animals getting onto the ark and then the flood.

This side shows the dove with the leaf branch and then the animals getting off the ark onto dry land. My DH loves this bag and that makes me very happy. I hope the recipent will love it just as much!!

Here is another placemat and napkin tote I made for a friend that will be coming to see me from Louisiana this weekend. I may be giving her a preview, oh well!

There were 4 colors and I purchased all of them. I've already displayed the lime green and this is the turquoise one. I hope to finish the fushia pink and royal blue ones this summer.

The inside has two pockets and there is an outside pocket on each side. Remember, I will take orders if you want one. Just leave me a comment :)

Landscaping

2009-05-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Our Memorial Day weekend was full of outdoors activities. My DH got the itch to landscape and he did such a great job. Check it out below.

This is our dog Tasha. She is a great dog even though there are times I wish we DIDN'T have a dog! If I had to have one, it would be her. Anyways, back to the yard, my DH bought some solar lamps and placed them around the driveway and in front of the house. You can kinda see them on the right side of this picture.

He is perfecting the front flower bed. Doesn't the red mulch look great? Yeah, I thought so too!

Of course, DH had to personalize it. I thought the "C" would have looked cheesy, but I kinda like it! What do you think?

Another area....

And from a different angle.

I must say that I was quite impressed and think that DH should consider landscaping as a second job...no not really, but it is an advantage to owning a home and we are enjoying it! Thank you Lord for our beautiful home!!

Vegetable Garden Update

2009-05-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Remeber when I posted the pictures of us planting our vegetable garden? Well look at it now. Isn't it beautiful? We cut lettuce tonight and DH says there are so many more veggie's we will be able to pick soon. He already wants to make the garden larger next year. I am so excited!!

Awards Day

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

My #1 had his end of the year awards day.
Here he is patiently waiting for his awards (heehee)!

This is him getting his awards on stage. There was no graduation so the dress was casual!

#1 and his friends. I know he'll keep in touch over the Summer. We are so very proud of him and are excited that he will be going into the 7th grade. I just can't believe he is going to be a teenager in a couple of months, ahhhhhh!

Promotion Day

2009-05-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

My #2 was promoted to middle school. He has completed his 5th grade year and is leaving the elementary school. I think he is quite excited to be going to the Jr. High! He will be with his big brother so that means I will be really busy with sports!

This is him getting his certificate from his teacher.

He got a Spirit Award!

Hanging out with his class. They played the recorder for a few songs to entertain us.

Awwww....him and his teacher. He is going to miss her.

Less of me

2009-05-28T09:20:00.008-04:00

I was reading in John 3 this morning and the statement that John the Baptist made really impacted me!

John 3:
27To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ[j] but am sent ahead of him.' 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.

I want to become less so that God can become greater!!! I have finally got back into my morning "quiet time" routine and it is so refreshing. I attended a kids retreat a couple of weeks ago and God really touched me. He renewed my love for Him and time spent with Him. I needed to repent for being lazy and complacent. Plus, life really sucks when I am not in right relationship with God. He is so awesome and loves me so much that I am stupid not to spend time with Him and let Him show me what He has for me everyday. So, my quest is to continue to spend time with Him and grow in Him. To become less so that He can become more in my life.

The kids retreat really stirred my desire to get involved in ministry again. Last night I got to help our church prepare for VBS. Although I will not be able to be a volunteer the week of VBS, I was so glad to be of some service! It made me sad that I won't be able to volunteer since my heart really wants to be there but I am praying that God will make a way in the years to come!!

Thank you Father God for loving me so much. Thank you for sending Jesus to die so that I may have life and have it to the full. I desire more of You!

Spring Tote

2009-05-07T08:11:00.003-04:00

While I was surfing the many blogs I enjoy reading, I stumbled upon a craft website (http://dollarstorecrafts.com/) that showed a tote made from place mates and tea towels. Well, I was hooked and had to go get one of these items to see if I could produce one too. The finished product is below and I must say, it's quite cute!!

There was a 2 place mat and 2 napkin set at Wal-Mart for $2.50. Then I purchased some ribbon for the handles and the tie. This was a very economical bag and so much fun.

The inside has two pockets and the outside has a pocket on each side.

Oh when, oh when am I going to open an Etsy store? I really need to. I would love to make money off of my love for sewing!

Throwdown

2009-04-24T08:10:00.003-04:00

Do you watch the Food Network? Have you seen Bobby Flay's show "Throwdown with Bobby Flay"? If you answered yes, then you will understand this post. If you answered no, then hopefully you will try to watch in the future!
The competitors: Lisa Clark and Amy Comeaux (me!)

The product: Hostess Cupcakes

The Challenge: Loan Operations Throwdown

This was the set up (isn't it nice, I did it myself!). I purchased some milk because how can one eat chocolate cupcakes without milk?

The Judges: Two co-workers from the branch (which will remain nameless for identity's sake).

The Result: I lost by 3 points!!! But it was oh so much fun! I would do it again in a heartbeat. I knew I was going up against someone fierce as Lisa is a cake decorator and a good one. I have had such a love for baking recently that it was something I just had to do. I had co-workers taking home cupcakes to let their spouses judge.

I'll let you know if we ever do it again. Until then, enjoy the pictures and dream of how good they tasted!! :)

DH's Daddy Funeral

2009-04-08T11:39:00.002-04:00

My DH's Daddy passed away on Monday after a month long hospital stay from his third stroke. He was 68 years old and lived a really good life. We are back in South Louisiana staying with family, which is best for DH right now. Thanks to everyone for your prayers during this trying time and please continue to pray for DH's family.

Here is the link to the Funeral Home's Website and the obituary for DH's Dad:

http://www.acadianfuneralhome.net/sitemaker/sites/acadia0/obit.cgi?user=herman-comeauxsr

16th Wedding Anniversary

2009-04-04T10:20:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my 16th Wedding Anniversary. God has brought us so far and I am so thankful! Below are the gifts we gave to each other:

I got DH candy since that is his most favorite thing. I had fun finding a way to wrap it up where he wouldn't know what the heck it was. He was suprised and that was fun.

I told DH I wanted flowers and he didn't disappoint! Tulips are my favorite and he actually made the arrangement himself because he didn't like what was pre-made. He did a great job!

We got married on my Mom's Birthday so the plan was for everyone to go out to dinner but DH got off really late. The boys went with my parents and DH and I went out to dinner alone. It was a new restaurant and one we will never try again but we enjoyed each others company. I look forward to many more years together!

Large "beach" Bag

2009-04-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

I have an order from a friend to create a bag large enough for her to put the 8X11 jewelry carrying kit into. Well, I've never done a bag like that so I needed to practice. Below is the bag I created this weekend. It is too large for what she needs, but it did turn out pretty. DH loved it and said we will have to bring it to the beach with us if we get to go this Summer!

The inside inspired the yellow handles and I think it goes well! By the way, I am not too attached so if you are interested, I will sell it for $30. Just leave me a comment with contact information. I plan to open an Etsy store in the future to display my handiwork! I'll let you know when I do!

Awana Derby Night

2009-03-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

Last night was the Awana Derby Night at our church. The boys took 4 weeks to create their cars. They cut them out and painted them. It was so much fun and the whole church was invited to attend and watch the race. I must say, the ones who ran it were uber organized and everything flowed great! I am looking forward to next year already!

This is #2's car. I love the smiley face!

This is #1's car. It's a corvette (I think).

Here is the track the church was able to borrow and the crowd was much larger than it shows. The kids got to sit on bleachers close to the track while the adults were seated in the back! Too much fun :)

He likes it, he really likes it!

2009-03-30T06:33:00.003-04:00

I have had so much fun reading all the frugal blogs and learning how to make so many things we eat from scratch. However, getting my family on board has not been as fun! The kids are much easier to convert since they have to eat what I give them but DH is used to "store bought" items. Well, I think I've finally found something I can make from scratch that DH likes and I feel that it is cause for celebration!

So, I am celebrating "homemade bagel day". I made a batch yesterday and I only have this one lonely one left! Yay! I hope this encourages all the other Mom's who are trying to be frugal and making their everyday breads and snacks from scratch. I will continue to try and convert DH while I have fun and save money!!

God's Will is not our will

2009-03-17T11:02:00.004-04:00

I know it's been a while since I've written and I am sorry! Life has gotten the better of me. Anyways, DH is back at work and God has really done a work in his life during the time he was off of work.

Now we are facing another crisis as DH's dad is in the hospital after having another stroke. He is still in a coma so we are heading down to see him. We decided to keep the kids at home with Nana and Papa so it's just us. We so appreciate all the prayers from our friends and I will try to keep everyone updated through here.

It's amazing to see God work through our trials. We have been so blessed financially and these times have brought me and DH closer together. We continue to lean on Him and look forward to see what good will come from this (Romans 8:28).

DH Update

2009-03-03T19:57:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that my DH is home from the hospital but still out of work. His knee is still swollen but the rest of his leg is better. He is terribly bored but has been cleaning and cooking so that makes me happy :)

Please keep him in your prayers. Pray that he heals soon and gets to return to work. Pray that God will provide the finances for us to pay the bills.

Thanks to everyone who has kept us in your prayers. They mean more than you know! God is faithful and has and will continue to carry us through this trial. Like the Word says, trials make us stronger! We love all of you!!

Hospital Days

2009-02-19T18:26:00.003-05:00

This has been our life for the past few days. DH started to get a bacterial infection on Sunday, we went to the Dr. on Monday and he was put on antibiotics. By Tuesday afternoon, the swelling in his left leg was getting worse so we went back to Dr. The Dr. suggested that DH go to the hospital and we have been there ever since.

Here is the inside of his leg. Below it's the outside of his leg.

It just started to blister today. I think you could get a better idea if I had the good and bad legs together cause this view doesn't look swollen, but believe me, it is swollen. We still don't know when he is going home but we do know the antibiotics are working thanks to his blood work. Please keep us in your prayers and I will keep you updated on when he gets to go home!

Baking Day

2009-02-18T11:18:00.005-05:00

I had Monday off for Presidents Day and had plans to spend the day baking snacks for the kids (and parents too)!

This is my finished product presented to my kids. Pretty, isn't it?

I baked Italian Bread from the recipe on the back of the Break Making Flour. It came out crispy and delicious!

I made Rice Crispy Treats from a recipe by Ellie Kreiger (Food Network). It is made with peanut butter and honey so it's healthier. They are good but they don't stick together well!

I packaged the crispy treats for easy take and eat consumption. Plus, I am hoping it will keep them fresh too!

Ok, these pictures are not cooperating and I cannot switch the order so you will see the finished product before the finished snacks! I made personalized labels for the granola bars. They have the date on them and are packaged in foil to keep them fresh.

This is the granola bars before I wraped them. They are Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.

This is my homemade label for my Amish Friendship Bread. It is just so yummy! See the bread below!

So here is to another successful baking day! I love to bake, I take after my Daddy! Enjoy and let me know if you want any of the recipes...I'll be happy to share :)

Resolution Update

2009-02-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

One of my 101 things to do in 1001 days was to read one book per month. Well, I have just finished reading "The Secret Life of Becky Miller" by Sharon Hinck. It was such a cute book about a stay-at-home mom who is trying to handle life.

She has 3 kids, one in school, one in pre-school and one under 1 year. Her husband gets news that he may be laid off and he is the only income for their family. She has developed and kept a successful Women's Ministry at her church. She has a very strong prayer group that meets once per week to have devotions and prayer.

Her church decided to hire a full-time Women's Ministry Leader and it isn't her. She is devestated. Then her husband does get laid off. She is asked to be featured in a Women's monthly magazine but doesn't feel worthy. It is a great tail of what other's see in her that she doesn't and how she realizes that she doesn't have to do it all!

It is fun and her imagination is creative as she daydreams of life as a superhero to get away from her crazy life.

I think my snyopsis is probably scattered, but it really is a fun book if you want a light read. It is also the beginning of a series so I am excited to read the next book.

Disney

2009-02-11T20:25:00.003-05:00

Disney has a promotion for 2009 – get in free on your Birthday. My Birthday fell on a Saturday this year so why not take advantage? I invited a girlfriend and we were off last Friday, headed to Orlando, FL. It’s a 9 hour trip but with two ladies chit chatting, the time sure did fly!

We left on Friday, checked into our hotel and then headed to Downtown Disney. I had never eaten at the Rainforest Café so that is where we decided to eat Dinner. The experience was fun and entertaining. The next morning, we ate breakfast at Starbucks and then headed to Epcot (my favorite park).

We started our day in Future World, rode all the rides and headed to World Showcase to eat lunch in Mexico. Amazingly, we completed all the countries in 5 hours, it took my family of 5 two days to complete the park. We had enough time to head back to Future World to see the shows we didn’t have time for that morning. We planned to eat dinner in Japan since I have never eaten Japanese or seen a Hibachi Grill. We arrived at the restaurant and didn’t have advanced reservations so we had to wait one hour.

I brought my liquid Tylenol (I cannot swallow pills) but it got lost in the car so I didn’t bring it into the park with me. I started feeling bad on Thursday before our trip like a cold was coming on and I started the day with a rum-dum headache. It progressed throughout the day and by the time we got to eat dinner, I had a migraine and was very nauseous. The show was great and I ate the first course, but by the time my entrée ($27 steak) was cooked, I was too sick to eat. My dinner ended with the waitress bringing me a piece tiramisu with a candle, a paper chef hat and Happy Birthday sung to me in Japanese. I so wish I would have felt better to enjoy it.

My girlfriend was so great! She lead me through the park to our car, drove to Walgreens to get medicine and then to the hotel. I was so upset that she was unable to watch Illuminations (the Epcot finale show)! It’s so beautiful and she has never seen it. But I thank God for such good friends!

She dropped me off at the outside door to the hotel and she parked the car. I made it to our room and into the bathroom and tried everything I could not to throw up. I have a phobia of throwing up and haven’t done it in about 15 years. During this time, my friend came and went a couple of time which seemed odd. I made it into bed (without throwing up) and she came back and told me that she had locked the keys in the car.

At about 1:30am I woke up and the nausea was gone but my head was still pounding. I changed from my clothes into my PJ’s and took my Tylenol. Sunday morning I felt much better! My girlfriend jumped into fix it mode and worked on getting our car unlocked. Thanks to her husband and AAA, we were back on the road by 10 am.

We had a blast and have decided we will make it an annual trip. We will hit 4 parks in 4 years. Next year, I will bring my Tylenol into the park and she promises to not lock the keys in the car. Sorry that I don’t have any pictures, she was the camera person and will get me a CD this weekend. Until then, see ya!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-11T19:22:00.003-05:00

Well, it's better late than never, right? Here is my menu for this week in no particular order:

Pork Roast, Potatoes & Veggie
Dirty Rice & Sasuage
Quesadillas
Pizza Loaf
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Shrimp & Pasta
Left Overs

I was sick on Tuesday but managed to grocery shop. I didn't cook so one of these meals will carry over into next week. Have a great week and try to eat dinner together, we do at least 3 times per week :)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-03T19:48:00.005-05:00

Yes, I do realize it's Tuesday and I am a day late, but better late than never, right?

Tuesday - Taco's
Wednesday - Eggs, Sasuage & Potatoes
Thursday - Potato Soup

(I am going to Disney World for my Birthday with a great friend - Feb. 7th - so I will be gone Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I had to find easy meals for my boys)

Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Shrimp Po-Boys (by request from DH)
Sunday - Spaghetti

Monday - Left Overs (cause you know I will tired from my short but GREAT trip)

Enjoy your week of eating and try to eat together as a family, it is so much fun :)

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-03T06:34:00.004-05:00

Wow, what a game, don't you think? We had the pleasure to spend Super Bowl Sunday with friends. The only catch is that we were rooting for the opposite team. This creates a very fun challenge for DH and so he went all out!

I know, he's kinda scary, but he is harmless really! The mowhawk was great! My DH is so creative! #2 got in on the action too. Too bad our team lost :(

Well, until next year!

Pottery Night

2009-02-03T06:28:00.003-05:00

A few of us girls got together a couple of Friday's ago and met at a Paint Your Own Pottery Studio. I hadn't done this in years. The last time I was in a studio like this, I was home schooling and went with a large home school group to create Father's Day gifts. I forgot how much fun it was. We were only there for a few hours and when the studio says closing hours, it means it! So my creation is below. I not too impressed by it, I can see all the blemishes but my boys like it so it's ok. I have been enjoying using it.

I am looking forward to going again soon. I want to bring my boys but probably not all at the same time as it is kind of costly. Wanna come and join me next time? I would love the company!!

Baking Night

2009-01-28T21:35:00.005-05:00

Ok, so I read a couple of posts lately about setting aside a baking day to prepare food for freezing so the kids could heat and eat easily. Well, I did my shopping last night and was ready to bake. I love to bake so for me is truely isn't a chore but a joy. My DH was at church and my kids were otherwise occupied so I got a lot done. See my progress below:

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Oatmeal cookies without oatmeal (I substituted special K cereal)

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

You should hear my kids tonight. They are so excited about morning and are telling me they are going to have a continental breakfast - one of everything!

Enjoy your baking time :)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-01-26T21:21:00.003-05:00

Ok, I am going to try to keep up with this as it is very popular in the bloggy world and a very good idea I might add! I am still having trouble keeping my grocery budget down but am working on it. I don't need to get much for my dinners this week but I find I need to purchase a lot for breakfast and the kids lunches. I am hoping to try making snacks from scratch and weighing if the savings is worth the time.

My DH gets paid on Tuesday's so my menu goes from Tuesday to Monday:

Tuesday - Tuna Melts, Potato Wedges & Fruit
Wednesday - Smothered Pork Chops, Sweet Potatoes & Corn
Thursday - Ravoli, Salad & Bread
Friday - Crockpot Pork Roast, Rice & Broccli
Saturday - Sloppy Joe's, Mac N Cheese & Beans
Sunday - Oven Baked Drum Sticks, Potato Patties & Corn on the Cob
Monday - Burrito Casserole (new)

I tried to come up with 7 days of different breakfasts and here they are:
Muffins
Pancakes
Microwave Omelets
Cereal
Cinnamon Sugar Toast & Fruit
Egg and Cheese Sandwich
Cinnamon Rolls

I also tried to come up with some lunch box snacks:

Granola Bars
Cookies
Chips
Crackers & Cheese
Dried Cereal
Fruit Roll-Ups/Snacks
Veggies (carrots)
Fruit (apples, grapes)
Applesauce
Yogurt

Well, this is what I've come up with for this week. See you again next week (hopefully)

Reflection

2009-01-22T20:59:00.003-05:00

I was unsure what I should post today and then I read the entry over at http://undergraceovercoffee.typepad.com/andrea/ and realized this is what I should talk about.

My walk with God has been less than productive over the past few months and I don't like it!! Discipline from God is necessary but very unpleasant. I thank Him for a wonderful husband who loves me dispite how I treat him and our boys. I want to feel fulfilled again, to experience joy and to be able to live out my faith with great enthusiasm. But I feel uncontent and unhappy. I know my major battle is selfishness and this is a hard one to break. I have recently decided to drop out of my weekly women's group because the subject matter made me feel worse than I already do on my own. Withdrawal is my specialty and I'm not sure this was my best decision.

On a positive note, I prayed desperately for godly women to come into my life so I would have someone to talk to and He has answered my prayer. I am SO thankful for these women who listen to me and are available even if I just need to know they are there! They will help me get through this season, even if they don't know how important they are to my journey!

So what is my plan? Well, I want to find a good Bible study to dig into God's Word. I love God's Word and learning from it. I plan on making sure I wake up early enough to spend time with God in the mornings. I plan on attending church every Sunday and really surrendering myself to Jesus in worship. It's not perfect, but it's a start. Ultimately, I would like to get back into a women's group for accountability and support and increase my prayer life as it has become almost null and void. I want Jesus to know how much I truely love Him and how thankful I am for all He has done for me and my family!

Thanks for listening! I hope to update my blog in the future with praise for battles won and prayer for those I face.

Snow in January

2009-01-21T21:27:00.005-05:00

It finally snowed! My DH should be happy since he is jealous of the amount of snow South Louisiana received last month (that is where we moved from) but this doesn't even compare! It wasn't much snow, but it was pretty. It wasn't cold enough for the snow to accumulate, much to the dismay of the boys who were ready to go and buy a sled.

You can "almost" see the snow flakes!!!

What I love to do....

2009-01-20T20:20:00.005-05:00

I was so excited to be able to do what I love to do on my day off yesterday - sew. I love to sew and my dream would be to make a living doing it! But I am satisfied by being able to endulge once in a while. I wanted to show you what I "created" yesterday!

This bag has a denim bottom with two large black pockets.

This bag has a black bottom, straps and two large pockets inside.

Just to let you know, if you are interested in a handbag like this, I can custom make one for you! The cost is $20 and it will include a magnetic closure.

Skateboarder

2009-01-19T10:54:00.005-05:00

Well, today is a day off, yay! It's a holiday, but to the kids, it's just another reason to not have to go to school. #1 is at a friends house and #2 has a friend over. #2 and his friend are the skateboarding type so I thought this would be a perfect time to tell you about our experience in Louisiana. We visited the local skate park in Lafayette (the boys really wanted to go) and it is unlike our Chattanooga park. For one, it's indoors (which is a must since Louisiana is so stankin humid) and it has different ramps and things. There are three extra large steps that #2 could jump easily and then there were 9 regular steps that he was contemplating jumping. As his mother who supports his ambition to want to go pro, I told him I knew that he could do it! There were some kids listening to me trying to pump him up and they couldn't believe I actually wanted him to try this. Well, it took him a while to psyche himself up but he did try it!!

#2 is the blur that you see in this picture in the striped shirt. Ok, this may not look high, but it was! He tried to land it three times but kept falling on one arm and I was afraid he was going to break it so at that point I needed to convince him to stop. His Dad had to help me but we convinced him to stop. I was so proud and so was he! He wants us to blow up this picture for him! I will keep up with the legacy that #2 will leave on the skateboarding world! We are very proud!

DH's Birthday

2009-01-18T08:34:00.006-05:00

Well I must say that DH had quite a Birthday this year! We traveled back home to Louisiana the first week of January and his Birthday fell in this week. We spend his Birthday day with his entire family (minus one brother). Then I was able to organize a dinner with several of our friends at a restaurant. There were 6 couples and close to 15 children. It was crazy but so much fun!

He needed help blowing out ALL those candles. Heehee!

This was a GAG gift that turned out bad. Our friends don't know DH that well and he sprayed this awful cologne ALL night! I had to eventually take it away!

DH's helper to open his presents!

Well, after that party I organized one with our friends here at home in Tennessee.

He looks sad, but really he IS having a good time :) Good food and good friends, who could ask for more? I think he was truely blessed.

101 things in 1001 days

2009-01-17T22:43:00.003-05:00

Ok, I heard about this while reading New Years Resolutions on "The Happy Housewife" blog and proceeded to read all the blogs that were linked. I thought this was a pretty cool idea but it really seems daunting when you think about it. When I sat down to actually list my "101 things" it really wasn't that bad. Now, I'm not sure they will all get accomplished, but I loved the idea so here is my list (in NO random order):

1. Family Game Night once per month
2. Purchase less pre-packaged foods
3. Rely on my Creator for more things instead of trying to handle them myself
4. Spend more time with my boys doing things THEY like to do
5. Grow our own herbs
6. Preserve our own veggies and fruits
7. Make things from scratch
8. Cook more healthy, nuturious meals
9. Have the boys assist in the kitchen and (future) garden
10. Operate on cash only basis
11. Pay off debt
12. Keep my home "company" ready
13. Spend time in daily personal/quiet/prayer time
14. Exercise 3 times per week
15. Make and write in journals for each of the boys
16. Spend more time in the Word
17. Communicate better with DH by not clamming up when I feel challenged
18. Spend more time outdoors, no matter the weather
19. Spend more time reading aloud to the boys
20. Focus on being consistant, compassionate and in-control
21. Have a date night at least once per month with DH
22. Have one on one time with one son per month - 3 month process
23. Eat out only once per month
24. Work with boys on giving, spending & saving money
25. Set a chore chart with the boys and follow it
26. Teach #1 and #2 to clean the bathrooms
27. Tithe consistently, not just when we have the money
28. Save enough money to live on for 3 months
29. Turn to God with every blessing and issue in my life. Learn to place my burdens on HIS shouldners. Pray without ceasing
30. Let my boys know they are a priority in my life
31. Let DH know he is a priority in my life
32. Do a TV Fast
33. Open savings accounts for the boys
34. Pray for DH daily
35. Buy groceries on a cash basis only weekly
36. Get an amazing camera
37. By a DVD player for mini-van
38. Read through the Bible as a couple
39. Bake homemade bread more often
40. Eat more fruits and veggies
41. Drink more water
42. Each month, do something for someone to show my love for them
43. Increase my time in prayer and pray more specifically
44. Laugh more
45. Be a blessing to others when I see a need and have the resource to fill it
46. Learn to can food
47. Start a simple garden
48. Save a $1000 emergency fund
49. Find more ways to earn money
50. Keep the house cleaner and more organized for DH
51. Tweak our budget to pay ourselves first
52. Meal plan EVERY week
53. Learn how to cook "freezer" meals
54. Celebrate another year of marriage with DH
55. Be a better wife
56. Be a better homemaker
57. Pray about my goals and ask God for help
58. Read 12 books per year(one per month)
59. Have coffee and prayer with DH once per week before boys wake up
60. Plan 4 weekend outings with the family per year
61. Have a family picture taken
62. Make an apron
63. Have a family from church over once per month
64. Learn to live within our means
65. Keep up with a savings account
66. Go through old clothes and use fabric to make new things
67. Complain less
68. Love more
69. Count my blessings
70. Pray for my boys everyday
71. Memorize a Bible verse every month
72. Camp in the backyard with the boys
73. Make and deliver homemade Christmas gifts to all my neighbors
74. Have a couple's game night 4 times per year
75. Go on a short-term missions trip
76. Keep up with garden for an entire growing season
77. Spend time scrapbooking with friends
78. Take a trip to California to visit family
79. Stop comparing myself to others
80. Be more patient with my boys
81. Be more grateful for what I have
82. Write in my journal daily
83. Give more
84. Praise more
85. Watch less TV
86. Take dancing lessons with DH
87. Explore home state stay-cations for weekend getaways
88. Show DH how much I appreciate him
89. Work on sewing projects once per month
90. Challenge my boys to read more
91. Determine a decent amount of time for the boys to spend on electronice
92. Take a walk - when the weather is nice - at least once per week
93. Send out Christmas cards by December 1st
94. Keep a well stocked pantry
95. Spend quaily time with DH daily
96. Be more intentional in training the boys and teaching them the things they need to know
97. Use my crockpot at least once per week
98. Buy furniture for the patio
99. Spend more time with my sister
100. Take a weekend trip with DH once per year
101. Buy a bed for #1

Thanks to all those bloggers whom I borrowed ideas from. I will TRY to stay on top of this list and accomplish as much as I can.

Christmas 2008.2

2009-01-17T22:15:00.005-05:00

Ok, I just downloaded my Christmas pictures so I am posting more than one entry about Christmas. Here is our annual Christmas Eve PJ pictures:

Aren't they cute?

Christmas 2008

2009-01-17T22:04:00.009-05:00

I know I'm late but since I am new to the blogging world, I figured it's ok. Here is my Christmas experience. This is the first year we have ever done "Santa". You see, DH and I decided when we had kids that we weren't going to do "Santa" but instead focus on Jesus. Therefore, my older boys never set out cookies for Santa, never wrote Santa letters and never received any gifts from Santa on Christmas Day. Then came along #3 and since he is only 5 years old and taught about Santa in Kindergarten, we thought about it again. We decided as long as he understood the TRUE meaning of Christmas, it wouldn't hurt. So here is what he left out for Santa on Christmas Eve:

And this is what Santa left for him:

I told DH that he is lucky #3 doesn't know his handwriting yet cause, this is totally DH's handwriting. It was fun and if #3 wants to do this again next year, I think it will be ok!

Hello Blog World

2009-01-17T21:31:00.001-05:00

Hello Blogging world! I have decided to join and am excited! I am an avid blog follower and start each day with the words of wisdom I read from so many women that inspire me. I hope I can be a welcome addition to this community and I pray that it will help me to grow as well.