HIS BRIDE

Praying

2009-06-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Praying for my children should not be a thing I take lightly, but yet I have. I have made it a job instead of a passion and a joy. I have wasted time, and I have be self seeking. I am honored that God has tenderly reminded me of this wonderful calling He has given me. Being a mom is so much more than meeting my kids daily needs. It is a journey of getting to parent with God to help bring out all that God has for them on this side of eternity. Thank you God, for this honor.

LOST

2009-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

So, yes, I am way behind on my posting! My laptop is out of order and I am not a fan of the desk top. So once the laptop is back and running I will be back. Have fun in the blog world in the mean time. Lots of love to all my readers :)

Trying to take cute Christmas pictures...

2008-12-28T14:12:00.001-08:00

Better luck next year.

Karis & Lexie hanging out

2008-12-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

The Perfect Storm - Part 2

2008-11-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

(This blog is part two of my last post)

So I am in very bad pain due to this headache. Before long the nurses figured out that my headache was not due to bad sleeping arrangements but the epidural. Next thing I know I am having something done called a "blood patch." What they do is take blood out of your arm and put it in your spine. Sounds easy enough, right? After the epidural the last thing I wanted was someone sticking something in my back again. I was very nervous about the whole thing. Well, I made it through it without squeezing Eric's hand off but I did make him almost pass out. When the doctor was done he told me to roll over onto my back. So... here I go. Keep in mind he said it would not hurt. So as I turned over I felt very intense pain. I let out a very loud scream, a scream that Eric said about made him pass out! So, needless to say, it DID hurt. I was told that I should stay on my back for between 30 minutes and 4 hours. So guess how long I stayed there? You guessed it, I laid there for 4 hour flat on my back, but when I got up the headache was gone. It was wonderful!!! So now that the headache was gone and I could focus on Karis. By this time she was doing much better. She was eating, breathing well and gaining weight. Two days later we were on our way home. So is life getting back to normal? NO!!! Come back to hear about one silly monkey and yet another hospital stay.

The Perfect Storm - Part 1

2008-11-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

WARNING this blog will have whining in it. If you are not in the mood to hear my pity party please feel free to skip this post!

So in the last two weeks the Foster-Whiddon household has been through an ordeal. It all started with Karis' birth. I was a scheduled c-section. Things were going good. The IV went in with no trouble. (Which never happens!) The cursed catheter did not have to go in till I had the wonderful epidural. Wonderful... at least I thought it was. Well, the man that was putting it in was having a bit of a hard time on this particular day. It was taking too long to do and hurting a little too badly. Finally my leg went numb. Finally! So we mozied on and here came Karis. She was great! Really hairy but great. She was then wisked away by the ladies in the green clothes. I was taken to a nice room with lots of warm blankets, a machine that blowed warm air and lots of other machines that beeped. Before I knew it I was in a room but there was no Karis. I am very eager to hold and feed my baby. Eric informs me that she has fluid in her lungs. This leads to her having to be on oxygen and stay in the hospital longer than planned. So of course I am very hormonal and I am missing my other three babies badly. So somewhere around day two I get the worst headache. Come to find out it came from my wonderful epidural friend.

Well that is enough whining today. Come back in a few days to hear about a blood patch and one bad scream.

We Are Home

2008-11-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

Karis and I are home. I thank all of you for your prayers and support. We are now trying to figure out our new normal as a family of six. I am excited to see what God has in store for The Foster-Whiddons. Here are so pictures of our sweet KO (this is her nickname that eric and lexie call her)

Nesting Nessa!

2008-11-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

OK... time for another update! Karis continues to make progress. She has been off of oxygen for a couple of days now and is breathing well for the most part. She has been stepped down from level 2 to intermediate nursery, which means she's not coming to the room yet but has graduated from the big beds with the heat lamps to a bassinet. She has started nursing and seems to be doing well with that. She has come off of her antibiotics but is still on an IV until the doctor is sure that she's getting everything she needs via nursing. She has a slight case of jaundice and is on a biliblanket still. From time to time she is still breathing faster than she should and the pediatrician said he needs to see her breathe at a normal rate for at least 24 hours straight before he'll send her home. He said we should plan on taking her home on Thursday or Friday at the earliest. This is later than we hoped for, but we want Karis to get all the attention she needs before we go home with her. We are also reminded of several of our friends who have spent months in the hospital with their infants and have a new sympathy for what they have been through.

Vanessa has been discharged as a patient. Because Karis is not ready to come home yet, Vanessa is now considered a "nesting mother" and is allowed to stay in a room (as long as one is available), eat from the cafeteria and be close to the baby until she's ready to leave. Vanessa is not getting any treatment from the nurses or doctors at this point... which actually helps with resting through the night! She's doing well. She developed a spinal headache as a complication from her spinal anesthesia but was treated and is feeling well now.

I am living between home and the hospital and am very appreciative of all the prayers and calls on our behalf. Thanks for loving us well. Please keep praying that Karis' breathing will get easier and she'll get beyond this rough start.

P.S. - Vanessa is in room 237A at Tift Regional Hospital. She can be reached directly by calling 353-4237.

5 Things Mom & Dad Miss About being Home with the Hyphen Nation

2008-11-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

MOMMY'S LIST
1. Holton's hand down my shirt
2. Zoe saying, "I still hungy."
3. Foot-rubs from Lexie
4. Late-night Spongebob watching in my bed
5. Rescuing the girls from the Snoring Ninja (Holton)

DADDY'S LIST
1. The kid stampede when I get home from work
2. Toting Zoe to her bedroom like a baby after her bath
3. Putting Holton to bed after late-night Spongebob watching
4. Kisses and cuddling with Lexie
5. Vanessa's good cooking!

We can't wait to bring Karis home to her Hyphen Nation! She'll be on the list soon...

Please Pray Today

2008-11-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

Things are still going well with Karis but she has hit a minor bump in the road. Here's the good news: she has come COMPLETELY off of oxygen and her breathing is doing much better! They have also removed the feeding tube from her throat and replaced it with one through her nose that won't gag and aggravate her. Less than good news: she's not progressing quite as quickly as the doctor would like to see. She is still retracting a little when she breathes and the second set of x-rays still show some stuff in her lungs. She also has something going on with her bowels that could be causing some stomach problems and preventing her from digesting her milk like she should. Because of these things, the doctor is keeping her in the nursery another day and feeding her only through IV - no nursing with her mom or even getting milk through the tube. The doctor has consulted with another doctor at the NICU in Macon and they feel that it's best to give her another day to move things along through her intestines and let her lungs mature some more. Of course, this makes us very sad, but we want Karis to get everything she needs while she's here. We don't want to rush anything or move her to the next stage before it's time.

She also has slightly elevated bilirubin levels, causing a minor case of jaundice. Since she's already in the nursery, they put her on a biliblanket and under a light to help her body break down the bilirubin and get rid of it.

The doctor said that the situation hasn't changed - we're still dealing with the same diagnosis and it will resolve itself. She's just taking her precious time! This condition is common in C-section babies but most of them are off oxygen and are nursing by now; because Karis is taking longer than usual she is out of the range of "normal" for this condition. The doctor has mentioned a couple of times that her age may have been a little off... it is possible that she wasn't a full 38 weeks when she was born, which would explain the extra time needed for all of this.

Please pray for Karis today. Pray that her lungs will clear up and her intestines will move along like normal.

We've added a few more pictures to our Facebook photo album. Check out the link in the "Detour" post.

Detour

2008-11-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

So... we've had some minor complications with Karis. She retained some fluid in her lungs during delivery and she is in the nursery getting help with her breathing until her body can absorb the fluid. She's making steady progress and should be out of the nursery soon, but we're looking at a slightly extended hospital stay.

We've also been having problems with photos not wanting to load to Blogger, so I'm including a link to our photo album on Facebook. It's a public album - you don't need a Facebook membership to view it.

The Hyphen Nation welcomes Karis!!!

2008-10-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

This is Eric filling in for his lovely wife as we hang out at Tift Regional Hospital after the arrival of our fourth baby, Karis Olivia Foster-Whiddon! She was born on October 30 at 2:19PM and weighed 7lbs and 10oz. I'm not sure how long she was (I know - horrible father!), but her fingers and toes are longer than mine! Not really... but she should be well-equipped for some musical instrument.

These are pictures from pre-delivery on Thursday morning.

KARIS

2008-10-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day. We are so looking forward to seeing the new Foster-Whiddon child. As soon as we get back up on our feet I will post pictures. Thank you for your prayers. Karis is on her way.

Behind - Oh My!

2008-10-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on my blogging that I don't know where to start. I have so much I want to share! First of all, I am very excited that our Karis with be here next Thursday. We are all counting down the days! Even our little three-year-old, Zoe, is counting the days. I will go in for a C-section on Thursday and hopefully will be home by the end of the weekend. Sounds fun, right! Well, speaking of fun, this year we went back to Mark's Melon Patch. We had a great time! We were able to go with some great friends that made the trip even better.

We started the day with some playground fun.

Then we moved on to the pumpkins and the cute little stands they had set up.

Then it was time for a good ol' sack dinner.

We let the kids play a bit more, then it was time to head out. We know it is a good trip for the kids if there is whining on the way to the car and sleeping on the way home! We had both, so I guess it was a great trip for the Foster-Whiddon kids & their friends.

Mark's Melon Patch Visit

2008-10-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are planning our yearly trip to Mark's Melon Patch. The kids are so excited. We have a few friends that are going with us this year and I believe we are going to have a great time. As I was going through some old pictures I found a few photos of a previous visit to "the patch." The baby in these pictures is Zoe and that cute little girl is Lexie. Man, how they have grown up! I hope this visit will make great memories for our family.

Love

2008-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday the family went to see the movie Fireproof (minus Holton, he had a grandparent day). We had a great time! The movie had me crying in the first five minutes and I did not stop till it was over. This is truly a movie that should be watched at home so you can do the "ugly cry" and not feel bad about it.

Off and on this past week I have thought about the movie and I have thought about my husband. I have thought about how good he is to me. No, he does not get it right every time and there are times we have to push through tough things, but most of the time there is such a peace in our relationship. The thing is I don't think about the blessing of that peace till the hard times come. I tend to take for granted a husband that helps to cook and clean; a husband that will let me call him more than a hundred times a day when I have nothing to say; a husband that makes time to play with our children; a husband that makes time to go to the doctor with his pregnant wife; a husband that does not fuss about much... he just helps. Not only does he help, he shows me love. Today I am choosing to see the love my husband has for me and our family. Today I am choosing to praise God for the peace and unity in my marriage on a daily basis. The enemy is all too quick to make things look worse in the hard times and not good enough when things are going good. My marriage is one of the greatest gifts God has given me and I believe that in the ordinary day God is showing me His extraordinary love through my husband. I choose to see that. I choose to see that the love that my husband and my God have for me is the greatest thing ever.

(Thank you Father and thank you Eric!)

"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame." Song of Solomon 8:6

Fall Fun

2008-10-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

My family loves fall. Here are a few of their favorite things:

Boiled peanuts

Cool mornings and nights

The way the air smells

The cotton fields

The slow tractors on the road

The pumpkin patch

Vegetable soup

Fall clothes (My kids wear them even when it's hot!)

Bales of hay

Fall decorations

Speaking of fall decorations, my kids have helped to make our dining room very festive. We love to make homemade things here at the Foster-Whiddon house. So... we made chair covers using plain white pillowcases. We used freezer paper to make stencils for their names. I ironed them on and they went to town with the paint! We then glued felt leaves on and these cute little Indian people that we got from Hobby Lobby.

The centerpiece was made with tissue flowers. We put down a brown runner on the table then we used another white pillowcase. We folded it in half and decorated it with a stencil, felt leaves and cute little birds. We got the idea for the birds from my favorit place, FamilyFun!

It is so much fun to let your kids be part of the process of decorating. Not all of the things they work on are going to look like Martha Stewart... some my look better! :) lol There is a lot of joy in having a visitor come in and your child say "Hey - come look at what I made!" Fall is full of many great things and many great memories.

Made To Party

2008-09-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

My family loves to have parties. We are in the planning stage right now for our fall party. The girls are so excited about going to the pumpkin patch and having family over. I love to build these memories for my kids. I feel it is important to celebrate life and have fun with the kids for no real reason but the simple act of enjoying life. Before I get into all our plans for this party I thought I should probably post about our last party. Zoe got to have a tea party while Daddy and Lexie were gone to summer camp. She loved every minute of it! Holton just enjoyed the food :) To read more about the party and see picture you can clickhere.

"What We Do Tomorrow?"

2008-09-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So here comes a new week, a week of new challenges and a week of new joys. I have a whole list of "to-dos" and things I want to accomplish. As we put my three-year-old down for bed tonight she asks the same question she asks every night... "What we do tomorrow?" She is most definitely a kid that likes to know what is going to take place; she likes to have something to look forward to. Most of the time my reply is "We are going to do school, play outside, eat lunch and maybe we will paint." (She loves to paint.) She smiles her sweet smile and acts as if I have just planned the best day ever... just for her. With great joy and excitement she says "Goodnight!"

So tonight as I think of the list of things I will be doing tomorrow I want to stop and ask myself, "What is going to make my family feel the most fulfilled at the end of the day?" Is it going to be having the whole house cleaned? Or is it going to be having all our school work done? No fight, no messes and every kid playing nicely? The truth is most days don't go like this at all. A lot of times at the end of the day I wonder, "God did you call me to do all these things? Because it does not seem like I can get it all just right."

As I read this verse tonight I see more clearly what God is calling me to do tomorrow. It is as if I am laying down to sleep and I am asking my Father "What we do tomorrow?" and He says back to me, "We are going to rejoice for this is a new day that I have made for you. We are going to be in conversation all day. Anything you need, just talk to me. And tomorrow, Vanessa, in everything give me thanks. Give me thanks for the small things, for the big things, for the bad things and the good things. This is my will for you tomorrow. This is my plan for you. Walk in it and it will be a perfect day." I look up to my Father with great joy and excitement and say, "Goodnight!"

This is indeed a new week to walk in freedom by remaining close to our Father.

Stamping Around

2008-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I have been laying around a lot. I am now 31 weeks pregnant and I am starting to have some small contractions. So in an attempt to not end up in the hospital I am taking it easy. Well, while I have been taking it easy I have found many cool ideas on the wonderful web! One of those ideas is making stamps. When I saw how easy it seemed I headed right out for some pink erasers and an X-acto knife. The first letter I tried was an O. I lost hope at the beginning because it did not look pretty at all, but the amazing thing is that it works! So I pressed on and I did Zoe's name. I found out that it is easy but the stamp part is not as pretty as I would like it to be. So I am moving on to Alexis' name and hoping I can do a better job with it. In the end they will have their own stamps and I did not pay a fortune for them - not to mention I had fun making them. Here is the site where I got most of my information from.

tired

2008-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

So I am one tired mommy today. Maybe it's the 7 mouth old baby growing inside of me or the three kids living outside of me. Whatever the case, I am tired. So when I am tired writing is not what I want to do but I do love to read. So hear are somethings I am reading... FamilyFun
Parents.com
This is a great blog... Grace Violet

Times and Seasons

2008-09-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

I wonder if at 50 I would still pick the same nail polish I pick today?
I wonder if at 40 I will still be using "snickerdoo" as my "ugly" word?
I wonder if at 30 I will keep my van any cleaner than what it is today?
I wonder if tomorrow my sinus infection will feel any better?

Life is full of moving into and out of different seasons. Friends come and friends go. Our hearts at one time or another are more sensitive to God. There days I feel so controlled by the Holy Spirit and other days I wonder if he is really in me; days I feel that beating my kids could be the anwer to all my problems and other days I think all they need is a 24-hour hug. There are days I feel like supermom and days I ask myself, "How can I keep doing this?!" There are days I feel like I could be a Harvard professor then other days I think "How can I home school when my ten year-old can spell better than me?"

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven."
A time to wear red polish, a time for silly words, a time when having a dirty van is okay and a time to walk through sickness.

So what season are you in? I am in "mommy season," which is not always the most fun or easiest job but it is MY job and I only have it for such a short amount of time.

Ecclesiastes 3:22 says " So I saw that there is nothing better than a man rejoicing in his own work, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him back to see what will happen after he is gone?"

Solomon says "There is nothing better than a man rejoicing in his own work." He did not mean this in a boastful, prideful way but in the way of being happy with the job God has placed you in. Somedays being a mommy is the best thing ever but other days it is so tiring. I feel like there is never any time left for me. The reality is there will be plenty of time left for me because this season will come and go and I will not get it back.

So I just encourage you whatever season you are in, do it to your very best and rejoice in every moment because this season WILL PASS.

Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

2008-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is a great prayer to pray for you husband, children, or friends. There is nothing better than praying the Living Word over those we love. Blessings!

Ephesians 1: 15-23

15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Words

2008-08-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I turn it seems that God is speaking to me about the words I say. From church I am hearing about the power of blessings and curses. From a parent class I am taking I am hearing how important it is to mold your child's heart while they are young. The words I say to my children do matter. Then tonight as I was flipping through the Bible I saw Hebrews 13:15 which says "Through Him. therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name."

As I first read this verse I began to feel overwhelmed. Man, here we go again! I sometimes just get tired of saying positive things. It's hard not to lose your cool when you have one kid spilling her drink, one throwing his food on the floor and another saying "Mommy! Mommy!" It's hard to look up and say "You sure are great little people! I just love the way you keep me on my toes." No - everything in me wants to scream, call them some names and send them away to their rooms. Let's not even talk about how nice I want to be to the mail lady in my yard honking her horn non-stop after I have just gotten all the babies asleep. Being nice is not always easy. At times like these it is a sacrifice.

I am not always going to feel like speaking kind words. I am not always going to feel like praising God; but the great thing about this is that God understands. That's why in Hebrews it uses the word "sacrifice." Sometimes it's going to be hard and I am not going to be able to do it on my own. When I make the small sacrifices not to scream but instead to lift His name, He moves close to me and empowers me to be all I can be.

What to do on this rainy day?

2008-08-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

Let's see what the Foster-Whiddon kids have to say...

You may want to hold your breath so you don't drown!

You may want to put your boots on because it's very ooky out there!

Or you may just want to stay inside and snuggle! (Holton's not so sure about that idea...)

Thoughts that have brought me peace

2008-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

I am not just a mom. I am a partner with God in training up four amazing children that in the beginning and end ultimately belong to Him.

I am not a wife. I am a bride sent by God to support, encourage and enhance a groom's life.

I am not just a housekeeper but a peacemaker of my home.

I am not just a cook but a creator of what God has blessed us with.

Today is what I make it. As a mom I sometimes feel like I have the most mundane job of all. Between the routines, long days, and all the baby-talk, I sometimes lose my way. So I am so thankful for God stirring my heart. I need Him to help me see the pleasure and joy in trying to be the best mother, wife and friend I can be. Apart from Him my work is in vain. Today I want my job to count. To count for Him.

The Award of the Day...

2008-08-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

...goes to me! That would be the "HAVE-YOU-LOST-YOUR-MIND-WHY-IN-THE-WORLD-WOULD-YOU-PUT-YOURSELF-THROUGH-SO-MUCH-TORTURE?" award.

How did this well-earned award come about? This past Monday I was put in the hospital for a severe sinus infection that I have been carrying around for months now. Nothing seems to help it get better. So I stayed there for two nights. I came home on Wednesday. Well, today I thought it would be a great idea to take the kids to town for an early lunch and some grocery shopping. What was meant to be a pleasant day turned into a nightmare - imagine that! I have been on so much medication that I kind of stay in a daze, but one of those medicines seems to make me turn into the Wicked Witch of the South! So our pleasant brunch together turned into me fussing over ketchup packs. Then our leisurely stroll through Wal-Mart with a 10 year old, three year old, one year old, one on the way and one heck of a sinus infection turned into a fight for mommy survival!

Halfway through the trip I thought "Hey... I will be nice. Why not stop and get the kids an Icey Coke and a cookie?" While I was purchasing this snack out of the goodness of my heart my children decided it was time to be very vocal and run around the store. I looked up at them to give them the "I-am-going-to -get-your-fanny" look which only worked for a split second. When I got back with their snacks the baby decides it would be fun to play ball with the cookies. The three year old thought running with her huge cup of Icey Coke would be fun till she crashed and Coke went everywhere. My ten year old must have been having a brain freeze because she just stood there and watched. So I had cookies flying, drinks spilling and a whole bunch of people staring. Ok... maybe just a few stares, but it felt like the whole store. I pulled myself together, gave all the children the angry-eyes and sat them down to finish their snack.

We made it through the rest of the trip with them minding half the time. At one point I lost my 10 year old and three year old. Actually, I knew where they were but they thought they lost me! We got the stare-down by one really nice lady that we were totally inconveniencing by even being in the store. Next time she sees us coming I am sure she will just go home. Well I could go on and on but I will stop here. I'm sure you can only image the things that took place in the checkout line! We made our way to the car and packed everyone up. I sat in my seat and presented myself with the "HAVE-YOU-LOST-YOUR-MIND-WHY-IN-THE-WORLD-WOULD-YOU-PUT-YOURSELF-THROUGH-SO-MUCH-TORTURE?" award.

She lost her tooth!!!!

2008-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

What's working for me

2008-08-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Right now I am absolutely in love with my MP3 player. It has became a close friend late at night when the kids are all asleep being sweet and my husband is dreaming of his lovely bride. So what am I listening to at the wee hours of the night? That would be FREE downloads from Focus on the Family. FREE!!! This week I have been listening to Kevin Leman, the author of "Have A New Kid By Friday." His podcasts have been packed full of information and very helpful. This week I also listened to Ken Davis on how we are like sheep. Ken Davis is a Christian comedian and is too funny. At one point I laughed so hard that I woke up my very grumpy husband (oh... I meant my very kind husband that was very happy that I was so enjoying myself at 2:00 in the morning.) Anyway you can go to oneplace.com to get as many free podcasts as you want. I do encourage you to check these out. If you want to hear the ones by Kevin Leman you should head on over there. They only keep up for 30 days (I think).

As far as my food life is concerned, what's working for me right now is Johnsonville Smoked Turkey Sausage. I found these at Wal-Mart. They sell for 2 for $5.00. My kids love them, my husband loves them and they are so easy to cook up. I cook mine in a frying pan with a little water in the bottom of the pan. We eat them in hot-dog buns. We normally have baked beans and fruit for our sides. Very easy dinner, very happy family... and that works for me!

Shhh...It's a secret

2008-07-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

So how good are you at keeping secrets? I am not so good at it. I normal feel the need to tell one person... which is normal my husband. The thought of knowing something that no one else knows creeps me out a little bit. So the secrect is out - I have a hard time keeping a secret!

The other day I went to check on my really quiet 3 year old who is normally very vocal. I found her lying in her bed. As soon as she saw me she started to whine. I said "Baby, what is wrong?" She looked up to with those big innocent eyes that did not look so innocent in that moment and she said "Shhh... it's a secret." Oh, a secret with a whine... this could not be good. My sweet little girl just keeps saying, "Shhh... it's a secret." It did not take me long to identify the SECRET! Her hand was covered in red paint and in the other hand was the evidence... a tube of red face paint. When she realized that I saw "the secret," she began to scream, "It's a secret!!!" I pick her up and took her to the bathroom and washed the mess away. I told her that we don't need to play with the paint because it will make a big mess. She laughed, gave me a hug and said, "Thank you!" The secrect was gone.

So we were safe from the paint and I went on to bed. On my way there God spoke to my heart about the secrects we try to keep from him and others. How plainly He sees our "secret," the sin we try to hide from him. How he longs for us to stop saying, "It's a secret it's mine." His word says that if we will confess our sin that he WILL forgive us. His word also says to go and share that secrect with someone you can trust. The devil would love nothing more than for you to stay in that creepy place of feeling all alone. There is much freedom in holding your hand up and saying, "Here it is God - help make me clean." He will gladly clean up the mess, encourage you and restore your joy.

So come on people - let's come clean from our secrets today.

( I encourage you to only share with Godly people that you can trust to protect you and point you in the right direction.)

Time for Mom to Create

2008-07-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love to make things. They don't have to be good and no one has to like them - I just want to create. I would have to say I get it from my "Father," the best Creator there is. Anyway, as a stay-at-home mom of three (and one on the way), I rarely have time to create anything but meals. Ok, let me tell the truth. I have to create peace when the war of brother vs. sister starts! That is never pretty; most of the time it ends in one crying girl and one proud boy. Anyway, back to creating things... here are a few things that I made.

The Beautiful Job of Praying for your Children

2008-06-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

So today has been a long day of teaching school, fixing meals, cleaning up messes and stopping fights. Just a normal day in the Foster-Whiddon house. As a stay-at-home mom I sometimes get so annoyed with the normal stuff. Where is the spice and the adventure? Is life just going to be this normal and mundane forever? Well, I guess it will be if I wake up every day speaking these thought over myself. My day is what I make it and today I want to make it beautiful and make it count.

God has given me a very important job. Today that job is to war in prayer for my family. I may not see the difference my small prayers today are making but one day I will. Every prayer I pray today for my children and husband is paving the way for their tomorrow. So today I do not want to look at my day as just being a slave to the little people in my life, but I want today to be a day of calling forth the things of God in my children. This is the day I get to team up with God and make life happen for these wonderful people in my life.

Help me God to see the beauty of who you are in my children today.

A prayer for your children today from Psalm 1...

Blessed are my children
They do not walk in the counsel of the wicked
they do not stand around with sinners or
sit in the seat of mockers.

But my children delight in the law of the Lord and on His
law my children meditate day and night.

My children are like trees planted by streams of water
that bear fruit. Their leaves will not fade away and
in whatever my children do they will prosper.

Not so the wicked.
They are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the Lord watches over my children
but the way of the wicked will perish.

2008-06-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

This is Zoe

"WILL YOU PLEASE..."

2008-02-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

"Will you please come play in my room?" asked my two-year-old.

Well let's see...I can't see the couch because I have so much laundry to do. I have just about 30 minutes before the one-year-old is ready for me to rock him and maybe 10 minutes before my ten-year-old is ready for her next assignment. Can I go play? "I really don't have time to... but you know that I will." I enter her room and say "I am here, what would you like me to do?" She points to a chair for me to sit in. As I sit down I pick up a shirt to fold and put away. She sees me do this. I thought "Oh no - I am in trouble! She saw me cleaning!" But that's not what happened. She looked at me and said "Fold more?" She ran out of the room and came back with a handful of clothes. She handed them to me and said "Wait!" So I waited. She went to her "cook set" and got things ready and then looked at me and said, "Now." So I started to fold. I ran out of clothes and she ran and got more. It was so funny. But then the truth of the sitution hit me - she just waited to be with me. It did not matter if I was working on something else. She just wanted me to enter her room and be there. Then God spoke to my heart!
As a mother I have so many things to do - teach school, rock babies, clean house and play. I get so focused on those things that I forget in this very day that God has a purpose for me. That purpose may be different each day or like most days it is the same. But God is asking, "WILL YOU PLEASE... just come into my presence and remain there?" He does not care if I am folding clothes, teaching school. rocking babies, or playing. He just wants me to show Him that He is important enough to me for me to turn my gaze to Him.

So next time we feel God push on our hearts to be with Him, let's take the time to turn our eyes to Him in our busy days and say "Yes Father, I am here and here I want to stay." All he wants is to be close.

" WHAT DO YOU DO"

2008-02-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

What do you do if you are sick and your house looks like it has been turned upside down?
So I have been sick for 4 days. I do believe it could be the flu... So don't get to close.
My house reflects how I feel. Like a big fat mess.
I do believe my kids are get smarter by the day. They have watch so much tv.
Just this morning my ten year old said she could not find her bible.
We are really lost now.
So what does a sick mother do?

Small things... Make a big difference

2008-02-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

Today's Small Thing is to find something beautiful in your home and make a table centerpiece out of it.
To learn more about small things click on the" I Am A Company Girl" button on my side bar.
So I decided to light a candle. I know you are thinking, "Come on Vanessa get creative." Well let me explain. My husband is out of town till Sat. We do not like for dad to be gone. So to make us feel better I light a candle for him. This candle is to remind us that no matter where dad is he is still the head of our home. He is still praying for us. The candle also represent that The LIGHT of all lights is with us. That we are never alone.

SAY IT OUT LOUD

2008-02-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Today I encourage you to say God's word out loud. Pray out loud. Talk to Him out loud. Doing this is like a breath of fresh air coming into a smokey room. So SAY IT OUT LOUD!!!!

YES!!! Child the grits are HOT!!!

2008-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

The morning was going great. My husband woke us up on Valentines Day to have a nice breakfast. It was perfect. I had a card at my place and the girls had stuffed puppy dogs at place. Things were great...Then our 10 year old got something very special . A BURN from the grits. She will always remember that grits are Hot!!!

Long... but worth reading

2008-02-14T17:31:00.001-08:00

I have been away for some time. I have still been reading my favorite blogs, just not blogging myself. I have been dealing with so many emotions the last couple of weeks that I did not want to just unload all of them without thinking things through first. Part of me doesn't want to write this blog but I feel like it is unfair to myself and my readers to go on and act as though these events have not happened in my life. So the journey of finding out more of who I am and who God is starts here...

On February 1st a dear friend of mine lost her husband while he gained eternal life. To respect her privacy I will keep details to a minimum. Her husband went to see Jesus face to face in the middle of the night while they were sleeping. She is a mother to 4 beautiful small children. This is a wonderful family that is trying to put the pieces of their lives back together with one very big piece missing - dad. I must say watching all of this unfold in front of my eyes has pushed my faith.

I must explain that for four years I have battled panic attacks. It controlled me for about three of those years. The fear of being alone and the fear of dying were the chains that entangled me. God has been so patient with me. I have grow so much through these years. For the last year I have been panic-free. Every once in a while when I am over-tired or over-stressed its ugly head tries to come up again. When my friends life came to a stop somehow I allowed the door of fear to open back up.

So I have the door open to fear and my heart is weak and I feel as though I cannot take any more. Well... more comes. My son who is one year old wakes up in the middle of the night with breathing trouble. We try to give him some medicine through his nebulizer but it is not working. My husband and I make a mad rush to the hospital. On our way there we think things are getting better but as we get closer things get much worse. His breaths get really shallow and felt like they were almost coming to a stop. We get to the hospital and they work very hard on him. It turned out that he had the croup and because of his age and preexisting asthma it was pretty serious and very hard on him. We stayed in the ICU one night and on the floor another night. I can gladly report that he is doing very well now.

So what am I thinking all this time? So many thoughts... mostly thoughts that God is not good. When I am struggling with fear the enemy has a way to twist everything to make God look like the bad guy. My mind seems just weak enough to fall into his trap. I come the the realztion that I was trying to close the door on fear using my on hands. My hands are not strong enough to do anything on there own.

I am not always going to understand God's ways but I do understand HE is a God that sees the big picture. I get so wrapped up in my little life that I sometimes forget God has an eternal plan. Death may sting our hearts for now but not for long. Fear may chain us down for a time but not forever. Pain may come, tears may fall and at times we may feel like we got the short end of the stick but that is not the end of the story.

I have a loving God who took on the world and death just so I could be close to Him. I don't understand all the time why things happen the way they happen. When I think "Why?" too long my heart grows cold. So I think on the "Who?". I don't know all of God's plan for my life but I do know that my life is meant to bring Him glory. So today I just want to lift my heart up to God like Mary did when Gabriel the angel sent her the message that her life was about to take a turn she did not foresee. She responded by saying "I am the Lord's servant... may it be to me as you have said."

I am here to serve God. May I throw my preconceptions of the way life should look out the window and look to the plans that bring Him glory even if they cause me pain. My LORD is good - all the time!!!

TO DO

2008-02-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

My laundry room is in much need of new paint and a makeover. So today is the day. I am sure I will not finish today but it is a start. Come back in a few weeks to see the finished job. Wish me happy painting. If you have any cool laundry room tips I would love to hear them.

A Gentle Touch and A Soft Voice

2008-01-26T18:15:00.000-08:00

Some days it seems to take all I have to keep my head above water. Not all days are like this but I do have my days. Well the other day I was having one of " those days". As I sat with my head down saying a silent prayer my two year old come behind me. What happened next was the best gift that a two year old could give. She gentle started rubbing my back and with a soft voice she started to sing " Jesus Loves Me"

Whatever you are going through today know that Jesus loves you.

Thoughts On Prayer

2008-01-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

" See to it, night and day, that you pray for your children. Then you will leave them a great legacy of answers to prayers, which will follow them all the days of their life. Then you may calmly and with good conscience depart from them, even though you may not leave them a great deal of material wealth." Ole Hallesby

" Every time we pray our horizon is altered, our attitude to thing is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don't pray more." Oswald Chambers

Good Cooking

2008-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

This has been the best cooking week I have ever had. I thank Rachel Ann from Home Sanctuary for this wonderful recipe.

Sausage and Vegetable Medley

Start by sauteeing up some onions and some veggies in some EVOO. I used broccoli and carrots. Add sliced smoked sausage at the very end. Cook a pot of rice. Serve veggies and sausage over the rice.

My husband loved it.

You may notice this dish is served on a paper plate. Easy to cook, easy to clean up. In the end more time for the family!!!

See That the Lord is Good

2008-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

It has been raining off and on here for a couple of days. The rain is welcomed but when you need new windshield wipers it becomes a slight problem. It is just like God to use a rainy day and some windshield wipers to teach me a lesson on faith. So here is how the story goes...

I was on my merry way to the church with my attitude on. The kids are fighting in the back seat and the windshield wipers are making this sound that is about to make me stop the car and pull them off! I thought, "Before I take drastic measures I should just turn them down a notch and see what happens." So instead of the wipers being on super-warp-speed they were on the speed where they swoosh across then they stop for a minute and then do it again. It was raining hard and I thought the darned old windshield wiper was NEVER going to swoosh across again. In that moment God spoke this to my heart...

"There are times in life when it is hard to see what I (God) am doing. There are times that things seem to be too much for you, but even when you can't see, I AM here."

God has always come through for me but just like I thought the wipers were taking too long to clear the windshield, sometimes I think, "God, are you going to help me out here?" Just before things get to the point that I can't see any hope, God comes in and clears things up. He never puts too much on us and He is always present. So when your windshield is covered in rain just hold on and trust... God is going to show up!

CONTROL

2008-01-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

So I had a small meltdown yesterday. I have become passionate about getting my home organized and clean. I am reading blogs and studying up on what works for other families. I am loving it. The small problem is I am making it an idol. Cleaning was becoming something I could boast in, something I could control. So day by day my passion was turning into a burden. I would work so hard all day to only be over-tired and feeling like I did not accomplish much. So after a few days of hitting my head on a brick wall I decided to be still and see just what was behind my frustrations.

I want to be a good mother, homemaker, teacher and wife. It is my job and I want to do it well. Nothing is wrong with that. The question is whether or not am I putting more passion in these thing than I am in my relationship with my God. I work so hard to keep order in my home but how hard do I work to keep order in my heart? Having control on my housework helps me feel like I have control on something, but the fact is I don't have control of anything. God is the controller of all things, even my housework.

I have sought after good ideas but not ideas powered by the living God in me. Yes, He cares about me being a good mother, homemaker, teacher and wife. He wants to help me be excellent at those things, but He is not going to let me be great at these things on my own.

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

I want to bear fruit in the things I do at home. I want to remain in Jesus. I want to seek Him about my meal plan. I want Him to give me wisdom on how to keep the mound of laundry down. I want to feel His peace when thing in the home seem out of control. God wants to help me with this and I am so glad He does. I am honored that He has called me to be a stay at home mom. I want to do the very best job to bring glory to His name. My job is not some flashy conference that reaches thousands of people but it is a job that impacts my husband and children. God is so pleased with a woman that can see her importance in ministering to her family but He does not want us to think we can do it on our own. If we try to work in our on strength we will just keep hitting our heads against a brick wall. So get your home in order by letting God show you how!

Then take off to those awesome blogs and lay their ideas before God and ask Him, "Will this work for me and my family?" If so go for it, if not it is ok. What works for one may not work for another. That is why we are here to share what works for us in hopes that it may help another person out.

(Thank you to all the blogs that have helped me with their great ideas!)

A Hard Thought

2008-01-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book called Unchristian by David Kinnaman. This book is really challenging me to view how the world see me. Here is a thought to think about this week.

"Young outsiders and Christians alike do not want a cheap, ordinary, or insignificant life, but their vision of present-day Christianity is just that- superficial, antagonistic, depressing." p40

How do those around you view your life. Lets live this week in the joy of the Lord because nothing about a relationship with Jesus is superficial or depressing. SO LIVE... Don't let things make you down cast. Let those around you see the joy of the Lord not a defeated christian. God never intended for us to live in defeat.

A Little help here

2008-01-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

I have found that my time on the computer is making me a better homemaker, a better shopper and just wiser at the small things. I have a few blogs to thank for that. One is Home Sanctuary By Rachel. She is the one that is doing Company Girl and helping me keep my house nice and clean. Another is Organized Junkie. I am going to put there links up in my side bar. There are a few more but I am not sure of their names. SO I will just put them in the side bar also. So all that said to say I want to start sharing the love so I have resolved that when I come across an idea that helps me I am going to share it. No more will I be an idea hog!!!!

His Word Is So Good

2008-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

Isaiah: 62:1-5
Because I love Zion,
I will not keep still.
Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
I cannot remain silent.
I will not stop praying for her
until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness.
World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
And you will be given a new name
by the Lord’s own mouth.
3 The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
a splendid crown in the hand of God.
4 Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”[a]
or “The Desolate Land.”[b]
Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”[c]
and “The Bride of God,”[d]
for the Lord delights in you
and will claim you as his bride.
5 Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
Then God will rejoice over you
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

So How Is January Going?

2008-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well, let's see!!!

I have been to the Y once :) Just 7 more times to go before the month is up! Do you think I can do it?

I have been studying 1 Thessalonians. I have finished it. At least I think I have. There is usually a good chance when I try to move on to something else that God will lay it on my heart to keep studying and praying through it more.

I have four pages left to do in my scrapbook for this month. This book is one for my two-year-old.

I have started writing down some prayers for my family. I really want to make a prayer scrapbook but that may have to happen next month.

I am praying more for my husband but we have not increased our time praying together. I spend more of my focused time praying at night. Night is not good for him. He likes the morning time. So maybe we can work something out that will work.
We have not gotten our books from our school yet but we are working on school assignments that I am putting together. I am really eager to get our materal.

No gift for a friend yet, but I am really looking forward to doing this :)

So that is where I am.

Becoming A Student of His Word

2008-01-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

"Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends."

The other day I was talking to my husband on the phone. He was letting out some steam about something that had really gotten under his skin that day so his voice was... well, a little loud. Right as he let out a "loud sound" (if you know what I mean :), his phone went dead. The first thing that came to my mind was, "Oh, no! Something is wrong! Did he get in a wreck?" My 10 year old looked at me and could see the concern all over my face. She said " Okay - let's just don't freak out now. Let's stay claim."

Oh, how I need that on a loop on a big speaker in my house.

It turned out that he was fine and there was no need to freak. However, that's what I often do. That is why I picked the translation from The Message for today's study. I love how it starts off with the words, "STAY CALM."

Staying calm, minding your our business and doing your own job can be hard things for us women to do. I know that on some days staying calm just does not happen to me. I wake up freaking out and go to bed freaking out. This is the day I need my loud speaker playing really loud! Or is it that I need things to quiet down and listen to the ONE in me? He can control all things if I let Him. The problem is letting Him.

"Mind your own business!" has been said across playgrounds and homes for years. Don't be a person that can be called "The 411." Don't be know as the person that knows everything about everyone - there is no glory in it. It will make you become more focused on their flaws than the things in your life that you need to work on.

Lastly, "do your own job." God has a call for you and your call is not the same as mine. There are times I dream of an out-of-the-home job but that is not what God has called me to do. So when friends are talking about how they stop by Starbucks before they went to work then later took a lunch break with a friend, I remind myself that if I was doing that I would not be fulfilled because God did not call me to do that. So I choose to be happy with where God has placed me for this season of my life.

By these thing you will find favor with people and people will find Jesus. So go be YOU today and feel good about it.

Lift me out of this pit

2008-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

" Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

So many times I drown myself in my feelings. "I feel anxious. I feel out of control. I feel abnormal. I feel like something is wrong with me. I feel like a bad mother. I feel selfish. I feel, I feel, I feel..."

I tell my inner man this all day long. In my dialogue with myself I am persistant on pushing myself futher down. Do I want to do this to myself ? NO WAY! So why do I?

Why do I do it? Because there are days that I live by feeling and not by the Word of God. In the end it leaves me at the bottom of the pool trying to find my way back up for just one more life-giving breath. I have a desperate need to find freedom from my drowning feelings.

It's days like this that I bend my knee not to the one that can save but to the one that leaves me in a mess - myself and my feelings. Yes I bow to the idol of my feelings. How can I make it an idol? My feelings become an idol because I have made them bigger than God. Not that I mean to - one thing just leads to another and there I am on my knees saying "Poor me!"

So God, I must repent for I have been anxious for many things. Your Word does not say "Don't feel anxious." It says "Don't be anxious." The problem is when the feeling turns into a meditation, then an action. God, renew a right spirit in me. I turn from my feelings and turn to you and on my knees I go!

Becoming A Student of His Word

2008-01-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians Chapter 1

I am doing my reading of this book from both the message bible and the Amplified Version. So today I am reading from the Amplified Version. My focus today is on Ch.1: 3. " Recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith and service motivated by love and unwavering hope in [the return of] our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

SERVICE MOTIVATED BY LOVE.
So that is what I am thinking about today. Service motivated by love.

Becoming A Student of His Word

2008-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Our Study Of 1 THESSALONIANS

Chapter 1
The epistle to the Thessalonians starts with a list of three men - Paul, Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy. At first pass I just read the names and kept going, but the more I read this chapter the more I felt like God was wanting me to think about the names. I know I have not done all the thinking on this that God intends for me to do but I do have some thoughts rolling. I'll start with the first one in this post and add more later.

1. There was a leader.
I like the definition I found for "leader" at Reference.com. I feel like it fits Paul - "a guiding or directing head; a forerunner." Paul was a leader to both Silas and Timothy, but there was a little something different between Timothy and himself. He was like a father figure to him. Paul called Timothy "my beloved and faithful child in the Lord" (1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2) Paul had the job of teaching Timothy how to serve the Lord.

Think about whom God has put in your life to lead, for whom you are to be a directing head and forerunner. As I thought about this question for myself I felt my heart moved toward my children. If I had the opportunity to write a book in the Bible it would start like this:

"Vanessa, Lexie, Zoe and Holton - to our family on Son Norman Road, grace and peace to you..."

If you are a follower of Christ you are leader to someone whether you know it or not. Sometimes the things I do as a mother, homeschool teacher and wife seems so mundane. I think, "God, can't you give me someone to impact, someone to lead? Can't I have an important job?" (Ok... I am just being real with you guys!) Then God says, "Important? I will show you important..." I look over to see my two-year-old calling her daddy in the room to worship God with her. It was all her idea! I hear my 10 year old pray prayers like they are coming straight from the mouth of God. I see a girl that so longs for her family and friends to be saved. I see them walking out the things I am sowing... then things go crazy again and toys are flying and kids are yelling. I sit back and I thank God for making me a leader to such awesome people.

Paul was a missionary. He had a big job that called him to go many places, but he did not have to go far to impact Timothy and Silas. Today you do not have to go far to have a ministry like Paul's... look at the people God has already given you to lead.

(I know what you're thinking, "She got all of that out of a list of three names?" Yeah, I did... and I have not told you the rest of it. Maybe that is for another time. :)

Becoming A Student of His Word

2007-12-29T08:42:00.000-08:00

I have started my journey of what is thought to be one of Paul's first letters, 1 Thessalonians My heart is coming alive as I become a student of His Word." If you have really drunk the water of salvation, then rivers of living water will flow forth to those around us." John 7:37, 38 I pray as we drink of His living water(the word) that we would over flow to those around us. As we study His Word may light break in on dark places in our lives. I know there are some areas in my heart that are in need of a flash of light. May this be a great journey for all of us and may we allow ourselves to over flow on our blogger friends. blessings student.

It's not to late to join. We would love to have you and the wisdom God has given you. Becoming a student of His Word.

Becoming A Student of His Word

2007-12-27T18:48:00.000-08:00

For the mouth of January I am studying the book of 1 Thessalonians. I very excited about digging deeper into this great letter penned by Paul. I would love for you guys to join me in this venture. There are five chapters in this book, so on one week we will do two chapters.

This study will be a great place for us to share what we feel God is saying to us about this letter at this time in our lives. Each of us is in a different place and it is amazing how God can use his Word to speak life in each situation. What you learn and post could be a major blessing and encouragement to another sister.

Questions to consider:
1. How does this passage apply in the original culture and context? Consider the author, the recipient and the circumstances surrounding them.
2. How does this passage apply in today's culture and context?
3. How does this passage apply to my personal life?

Things To Do In Jan.

2007-12-26T18:46:00.000-08:00

1. Study a book in the bible(pray about which one)
2. Start on prayer book for my family.
3. Go to the Y 8 times or more.
4. Start 4th grade.
5.Do one scrapbook
6. Buy a gift for a friend
7. Pray with and for my husband more

Ready, Set, Goals...

2007-12-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

Well, to tell the truth I have not started on my goals for the new year yet. But there is no time like the present. So this is a draft. I am sure I will change some things around and add to later after I think on it more. So here goes.

1. I want my prayer life to move to a deeper level. I believe out of this I will become the disciple, wife, and mother that God is calling me to be. I would love to have 3-4 times a day that I will spend in focused prayer. Through this I will grow closer to my King and there is nothing better than that.

2. I would like to be more disciplined when it comes to teaching home school. Having more set times for things to happen and more lessons plans to follow. I always start good but never finish well. I want to do better this year. If I can make this work we might be able to get more work done and less time running in circles.

3. I want to date my husband more. I want to learn again how to view him more as my husband and not like just the guy that help with the kids. I want us to have more moments just for us. I want our relationship to be help together by love not our kids.

4. I want to play more, run more, and laugh more. This will bring a happy, health, and full life to me.

So I will be adding more to this list....

5. I would like to learn to sew this year.

A Time To Reflect

2007-12-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

One afternoon as a was cleaning the bathroom door with my son on my hip I was taken back to the moment he was born. He was born on Dec.12 06. I feel like it was in 07 though. So when i think back on 07 i think about the sweet moments of him as a infant in my arms. So on this afternoon as he was in my arms and I was just about to complain about how heavy he was and that I needed to put him down so I could clean the door my heart was filled with gratitude and I pulled him closer. This was my pray that day...Oh, God Thank you so much for giving me a great year with a great boy. Thank you God for letting me keep him this year and I pray for many more years to come.amen.
As I look forward to a new year. I look forward to new moments with my wonderful children and heart moving husband. As I look back on 07 I think about moment like those at the bathroom door with my son. I think about moments of laughing so hard at my two year old. I think about moments spent teaching my 10 year old. Moments I did not lose this year because God moved on my heart to home school her. I think about moments when my husband treated me just like the Bride of Christ. I think about God and how good he is to me and I would not want to change any thing about this year and I am open to whatever God brings my way on 08 as long as HE is with me.
be bless and stay in the moment.

December Group Writing Project

God Open My Heart

2007-12-13T18:48:00.001-08:00

Christmas is well on its way. Ginger bread train is almost finished. Gifts are being bought. Almost time for dad to be off work. Soon the movie watching will bring. Then it will be time to go to house to house to be with family and friend. This is such a joyful time of the year for my family. We love building memories for our children.
There has been one thing that we have done different this year and that is celebrate Advent in our home. Each year we would observe the lighting of the Advent candle on Sunday morning at church, but this year we are observe Advent every night in our home.
Every night we gather up where the tree is to light our candle, read the bible, pray, and talk about the joy of Jesus being born for us. This has really meant alot to me. I feel God opening my heart more. I am moved more by His Word and His Holy presence seems so close that it almost takes my breath away. It in these moments that I forget about "I" and i am so focus on HIM.
I do believe the enemy uses this time of the year to pull those that love Jesus further from Him. He (the enemy) sees it as an opportunity to convinces us to do more and buy more leaving little or no time for The One that truly matters.
So I thank God for moving on my heart through my blogger friends to celebrate Advent in the home this year. I thank God for what He is doing in my heart. I am so moved by the fact that He the King of King wants to be close to me. Oh, how i am moved.
I would encourage you to make sure that you are pulling your heart closer to His this season. Trust me you will be so blessed. It is well Worth the time and effort. His presence is so sweet. Just like the sight of a new born baby can take your breathe away and bring a smile to your face. That is how his presence has come to me.
Thank you Jesus for coming as a baby and walking through this world so you could know the hardship I must endure. Most of all thank you for enduring the cross for me. I bring a thankful heart to you tonight.

Christmas Movie Rental Extravaganza!!!

2007-12-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

We have a Christmas tradition where my husband takes his vacation time from church during the Christmas season, we pull out the sleeper sofa and watch lots and lots of Christmas movies to get "in the spirit" for the holidays. Here is a list of movies we want to watch this year:

My choices: Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Polar Express, Rudolph and Frosty and other classic claymation movies, Charlie Brown's Christmas

My husband's choices: A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (not for the girls), It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol

My girls' choices: Eloise, Mickey's Christmas, Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Santa Clause series with Tim Allen

Do you have any suggestions for Christmas movies we should watch?

All aboard

2007-12-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

So today I have been working on making a gingerbread train. It has taking alot of time but has been alot of fun. I found the recipe at Family fun.com.

MONDAY IS HERE

2007-12-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

So here goes my rambling about what i need to do on this Monday.
I really want to finish up my Christmas decorating. I have stuff laying around everywhere. I need to put the things i am not using back in the attic. SO this would go a long way to making the house feel clean.So this is first on my list. After spending time with Jesus. I do believe i will keep reading in Psalm 119.
Then the thing I love best laundry(not)has to be done. The thing that makes this not fun and time consuming is the fact that my dryer is dead. So i have to let them dry out side then iron them. That should keep me going most of the day.
For school we are going to work on our nature stuff. We will pick an insect and try to find out as much about it as we keep. This goes along with her Keepers of the Home book.
Things that i would like to do are: make ginger bread men to go on the Christmas Tree.
I also have to have our family play practices tomorrow night. So it will be a full day but it will be good. I pray that God would be in every thing I do. I want to show my kids the love of God this week in every thing i do. Also this week for Advent we are focusing on Love. Well, there is my rambling. Have a blessed day friend.

Freedom This Christmas...

2007-12-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord;
do not let me be put to shame.
I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.Psalm 119 30-32

Oh, this is good stuff.
Lets walk through and take delight in each part.
"I have chosen the way of truth"
Following our Lord is a choice. It is not just something that happens. We have to choose Him, and not just one time when we get saved but we have to chose Him daily. I am so glad I have a God that is so concerned with me that he wants me to say yes to Him every day. He wants me to be in His company everyday. He is not to busy at work to talk and listen.He wants me to set my heart on his law(his word) He wants me to hear him.

May I be a women that runs (not walks) in the path of your commands. Help us God to be very quick to do heed your call. Help us when we a tried and feel like we have no more to give help us then to still do what you have command.

Because in this God, You will set our hearts free. Thank you God that we do not have to be in bandage to sin, fear, and worry. Thank you that you will help us walk in truth and Your promise is FREEDOM. THANK YOU GOD FOR FREEDOM.

Please Pray For...

2007-12-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

1. The church we attend and my husband works at just got the sad news that one of our pastors is moving on to another church. This has been very hard for me. Also some members of the church are upset and speaking hard things about the church. We really need peace to over come our church.

2.Pray for the hearts of my family that are far from God and hard hearted torward Jesus.

3. Pray that my children would be madly in love with Jesus.

4. Pray that my husband would find favor with God and people.

5. As for me, pray that i would lead my family closer to Jesus...and stop letting stress get the best of me.

Thank you so much my blogger friends. I look forward to praying for you guys. Blessings

In the craft mood

2007-11-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

I LOVE making crafts for family and friends. For Christmas we have made the best little place mats.
We used brown paper bags and cut them to make the mat. Then we got Ginger Bread boy and girl print outs.
http://www.first-school.ws/t/pattern/gingerbreadb.htm
http://www.first-school.ws/t/pattern/gingerbreadg1.htm

Then we cut them out on this cute christmas fabric. We made a girl and a boy for each place mat. We glued the ginger boy on half way then we stuffed him with cotton to make him puff up. We did the same for the girl. Then we glued on eyes and a smile and buttons. Then we made a cute little border out of the left over fabric.

We made them for my mother- in-law. She loved them and has them on her table now. We will start tomorrow on my mother's. I think instead of ginger bread men we are going to do Christmas trees for her. I can't wait. Give it a try and bless someone with a homemade gift of love.

Cookie Time

2007-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Part one:
As a new mother I do not have any recipes of my own. For Thanksgiving we made wonderful sugar cookies. We spent a lot of time decorating them and writing thankful notes on them for our family. They loved them. We plan on doing something along those lines for Christmas also.

Part two:
I did not grow up with a cooking family tradition. I really want things to be different for my children. We spend about two weeks before Christmas watching old Christmas movies. We pull out the sleeper sofa and we cuddle together. It is a great time.

I want them to have a passion for making a house a home.

Part three:
Psalm 1 is where God has our family right now.

1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

Have a blessed day friends... your are his bride too!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T19:59:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is here. I so look forward to all the good food. I love this time of the year. But i would like to remind you that God wants us to give thanks all year around. He desire that we live a life of thanksgiving on a day to day base. He know that when we live a life that is thankful it makes of soul, mind, and spirit well. So if you are feeling alittle down today try to find things to thank Him for. If we can grab hold of a thankful spirit God will bless us with His joy. So go and be thankful today.

good days

2007-11-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

All i can say is "these are the good days and I thank you God for them."

seeing purpose

2007-11-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

well, things have beed hard this past week. but the good news is that God is showing me my purpose. My purpose as a mother, a wife and teacher. I guess it is good to go through times that really makes you think about what you are doing so you can truely believe you are on the right path. thank you Jesus for helping me see.

a little help

2007-11-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Can any of you homeschool mothers give me some advice. I feel a bit dishearted. I love homeschooling my kids, but for some reason i feel like I am making them miss out on things. I also feel like i am not doing that good of a job. I just need some one to speak truth to me in these hard days. thank you...v

peace in the crazy day

2007-10-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Some days just go like this. Trying to find peace in this crazy day. Well, what makes it crazy is me and how i view and handle things. Today has been one of those days that my moods have been all over the room. These are the days it is so hard to let my flesh die. I so want to walk in the peace and the control of the sweet Holy Spirit. So what do i do now that i have let my ugly flesh show it's head? Well, i get on my knees and i receive HIS sweet grace. Then I get up again and walk in freedom. Thank you Jesus that you are bigger than my moods and my sin. Thank you that i don't have to roll in the mud of shame. I can stand the my head high and my hands clean. And so can you, no matter what today was like for you. God Bless.

Getting started

2007-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

just getting started....more later.v