The Vision

A simple, private, safe place for me to unload and reflect my thoughts.



Spiritual Food for the Day

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

2010 coming to a close...

Hard to believe it is that time of year again.  Time seems to just zip by anymore.  I will try and run thru our year... I should keep a notebook throughout the year so I can look back and remember!

January - Andy's Papaw Larry passed away after some complications in the hospital.  Not the greatest way to start off the year... Also, my sister started dating an old acquaintance that lives in Washington state!  (my birthday was the 27th!)  My sisters husband got out of the Marines.

February - Happy birthday to my sister and niece, it was were I first met my brother in law's new girlfriend.  He did very well! :)  We also had a late Christmas gathering this month and Jocelyn was diagnosed with RSV.  My youngest sis moved to AZ with her husband.

March - Happy Anniversary to us!  8 years and going strong!  We also started looking into replacing our roof which needed done badly.

April - Made the down payment for the roof to be put on in June, my little sis and her husband moved back home from AZ.  I also went back to part time at the end of the month.

May - Happy birthday to my dad and brother!  Also had my sister's baby shower and started planning for youth camp in June.  Also attended the Old German Baptist Annual Meeting to see lots of old family and friends I haven't seen in years!

June - Happy Birthday to my sister , son and my hubby turned 30!  We had youth camp as well and started preparing for our General Convocation.  Our roof was finally put on and we had approx 10 large trees taken down on our property.  My sister got engaged!  Also ended up switching babysitters


July - Happy birthday to my niece, nephew and sister in law and brother in law!  We had General Convocation and started preparing for Jocelyn's 1st birthday.  Also my niece Abigail Jane was born!

August - Happy 1st birthday to my daughter!  We had her party which was a big hit.  Also started all the back to school stuff.

Sept - My dad and brothers and sisters and spouses all went camping for a weekend before my sister moved to Washington.

October - not much happened really.  Happy birthday to my niece!  I also went back to full time to help out while a co-worker goes thru chemo.

November - Happy birthday to my niece and brother in law and brother.  Had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and had a couple bridal showers for my sister.  Also my brother and soon to be brother in law got to come home early from WA.

December - Happy birthday to my mother!  Also the big day for by sister and her now hubby.  It also started our never ending Christmas's!


Whew! What a year!  I am sure I left some things out but that is the gist of it.  Am very thankful for everything I have, everything God has done and looking forward to another year of His wonderful blessings!

Happy New Year everyone!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Reason for the Season

This has been on my heart a lot lately as it should be and I have read it a couple of times recently so just wanted to share.

Let me know your thoughts or what this speaks to you if you wish.  I will highlight the scriptures that keep jumping out at me that I am chewing on.

Merry Christmas!

Luke 1:5-2:21 (King James Version)


 5THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
 8And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
 9According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
 11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
 14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
 15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
 16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
 17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
 18And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
 19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
 20And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
 21And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
 22And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
 23And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
 24And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
 25Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
 26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
 28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
 34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
 37For with God nothing shall be impossible.
 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
 39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
 40And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
 41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
 42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
 44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
 45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
 46And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
 49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
 50And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
 51He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
 52He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
 53He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
 54He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
 55As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
 56And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
 57Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
 58And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
 59And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
 60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
 61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
 62And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
 63And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
 64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
 65And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
 66And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
 67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
 68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
 69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
 70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
 71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
 72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
 73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
 74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
 75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
 76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
 77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
 78Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
 79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
 80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Luke 2

 1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
 8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
 21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

My new discovery…..


First of all I want to start off by saying how much I love my husband!  God knew what he was doing when he had Andy slam the door in my face on that cold day in February 11 years ago!  I am truly blessed! 

I work the first four days this week and then am off till after the first of the year.  Hubby has these whole two weeks off so while I work this week he and the kids are just home.  I walked into my home yesterday and the heat from the wood stove and the smell and heat of the pork roast in the oven greeted me.  Along with my happy children.  The floors were swept and some were mopped, dishes done, laundry done, house picked up, children bathed (did I mention they were happy?).  I loved the atmosphere I walked into, very peaceful and happy!  Within 20 min of me being home, supper was on the table and I didn’t lift a finger!  I had the luxury of cuddling with my 16 mos old and listening to my 7 year old tell me about his day.  We had a wonderful dinner together as a family.  Afterwards I helped clear the table and then did the dishes (it was the least I could do!)  Hubby and children were in bed by 9 and then came my discovery….

All day a nice hot bath was sounding wonderful!  This is coming from someone that really does not care for baths at all.  I think the most baths I have ever taken were while I was in the end of my pregnancies and was trying to alleviate some of the aches and pains.  Other than that, I don’t care for them.  Hubby on the other hand really enjoys them, especially in the winter.  This weather reeks havoc on his skin; especially feet so the nice, warm bubble bathes help soothe them.  Anyway, I decided, since the house was quiet, I would give it a try.  I lit some candles and turned the lights off in the bathroom and drew a nice, hot bubble bath and then I sank into heaven!  J Not really but oh my goodness, I don’t know if it age or what but I have been noticing lately that there are things that I treasure or things I value or desire that was never there before and baths is now one of them!  I loved it!  It was like everything just melted away!  Very peaceful…  It will definitely be something that I make time for in the future.  I have been thinking of things lately that would add more “me” time to my schedule b/c I feel I am lacking that majorly and I feel it is important to regroup and for me to be the mother and wife I need to be.  I think late night baths might be something to invest in!

So sorry for my rambling on about baths, it was an exciting day for me J  Hope everyone is enjoying their CHRISTMAS season!  ( I think we might go tobogganing on Friday, I will keep you posted!)

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Help!

Just real quick.... I don't know who all looks at this or reads it but I am hoping that within my "chosen few" there are some ideas or resources you can throw at me.  I am wanting to come up with a different/better way to maintain household duties/chores while working full/part time.  When I am working part time, I am able to keep up quite a bit but still not to my satisfaction and would just like some feedback/ideas on how I can better my system.  With me working full time for the time being, I feel like things spiral out of control very quickly, especially during this season.  When we do have a little time at home, I am so exhausted, the thought of tackling the mountain of work seems impossible.  I know doing a little everday is the trick but so far I haven't came up with a system that I can maintain that mentality.  I read something today while searching on this subject and it said you have to create a habit to replace one.  I know it is very true but I guess i just lack the "umph" to do that.

Anyway, any and all help would be appreciated!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Twas the month before CHRISTMAS....

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas – no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ‘ Holiday ‘.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears*
*You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*

Christ is ‘The Reason’ for the Christ-mas Season!


Sunday, December 12, 2010

Weekend Update...

Well I can officially say the weekend is over.  It was a long, exhausting one but so good!  It was such a wonderful thing, watching my sister walk down the isle at her winter wonderland wedding to become Mrs. Joel Reavis.  The day went wonderful, everything on schedule and went smoothly.  My hubby did a wonderful job marrying them as well!  Joel's brother was unable to make, got caught in the wicked (but so pretty!) snow storm :(  But other than that, everything went and was beautiful!  Here is a family pic we snapped after the wedding....





Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Saga continues…


Ok, here is an update as far as what has been going on lately.  So I thought I got the flu bug last week and was done for the season….wrong.  Woke up feeling yucky Tuesday morning along with hubby.  Both tried going to work but ended up at home by midday, hubby in the bathroom every hour and me on the couch….  We drug ourselves out of the house to get the kids and then were home the rest of the night.  I picked up chicken noodle soup and tomato soup at the dollar store and that was supper, first thing I had eaten all day.  Next day woke up feeling some better but not 100% but made myself go to work.  Sipped sprite and ate some oatmeal and by noon was feeling a lot better.  Went and got Jocelyn from sitters after work and her eyes were all gunky and matted.  They said green junk poured out all day and she acted blah.  In the meantime hubby never went to work, still having stomach issues.  By the time I got home Jocelyn was sleeping (only slept 45 min all day) and her eyes were matted shut.  Andy washed them out with a warm wash cloth and I decided to go ahead and take her to after hours clinic before it got too bad with the wedding and pictures this weekend!  They diagnosed her with Acute conjunctivitis and prescribed eye drops for the next 7 days.  Today hubby is doing better and went to work, except for he went to get in the car this morning and it wouldn’t start L So now we need to figure out if it is just the cold, dead battery or something further…  It is 7 years old so I guess it is probably time for a new battery and probably a tune up along with my car when we have the extra money. Ha!

In the mean time, we are now 2 days away from the wedding, pretty much everyone in Manchester has been sick one way or another, my mom’s washer finally quit (it was one that we had given her that Andy used when he first moved out on his own that was given to him by his grandparents.  It was ancient!)  So they are in the middle of trying to figure out what they are going to do while they have 9+ people living there this week!   Also my sister’s fiancé’s brother and his wife are on their way from Washington for the wedding, got to Montana last night, hit ice and totaled their car!  Thank God they are ok but are stranded in Montana in a hotel, no clue how or when they will arrive here and he is the one and only best man/groomsman!  So needless to say there is a lot of stress where that is concerned.

Whew!  I think that pretty much covers it.  I really want to sit down and blog more, I have so much going thru my head and so many ideas but time seems to be racing…never enough of it!  Hopefully when January comes things will slow down a bit and I can regroup!  Hope all is well out there!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Winter cooties...

Yuck, i think i have them....  I was home last week with what i thought was the stomach bug but woke up this morning with a queasy stomach again...  I guess it is that time of year but it is still no fun especially with the wedding this weekend and then next weekend starts our big line of Christmas's.  I guess it is better to get it now though....

Well that is all for today.  When I feel better, I will have more to say.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Come and see what's happenin...

This is one of the songs that our choir is singing for our Christmas program.  I really like it.  The Gaither Vocal Band sings it if you want to look it up.  If you would like to come to our Christmas Program, it is Sunday December 19th at 6 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ in Pierceton.  Come see what's happenin!


Come and see what's happenin' in the barn!
I've seen nothin' like this since I've been on this farm!
Those strangers that camped out there have a baby in their arms
Come and see what's happenin' in the barn!

Must have been sometime `bout close to midnight
A big ole' guy came knockin' at my door
He said his wife was `bout to have a baby
And she just couldn't travel anymore.
I said the rooms had all been rented out
But they'd find shelter out there in the barn
They could throw some blankets in the stable;
At least, they would be dry and safe from harm.

Sometime before dawn I was awakened
Light was floodin' through the windowpane
A star as bright as moonlight was a shinin'
And pretty music I could not explain
I ran downstairs to have a look around
I tell you I could not believe my eyes
A crowd had gathered all around the manger
And they were talkin' `bout God's big surprise.

The shepherds said that they'd been on the hillside
Tellin' stories just to stay awake;
The baby lambs were sleepin' near the campfire,
The ewes were huddled by the stone fence gate.
And then the sky just seemed to open wide
With light and sound that they could hardly bear
And what they swore were angels sang in chorus,
"You'll find the new Messiah over there."

"Go and see what's happening in the barn"
There's been nothin' like it ever happened on this farm!
The strangers that camped out there have a baby in their arms.
Go and see what's happenin' in the barn!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Excitement and Thanksgiving


The blog title pretty much sums up my thoughts lately….This time of year is always exciting.  It’s almost like God puts something in the atmosphere to get us excited!  Corny, I know.  On top of the normal Holiday excitement, my sister is getting married next weekend and I am so excited for her!  I try and remember back to the week before my wedding (yes it has been a few years J ) and my oh my was it exciting.  If I think about it, I was really just a kid getting married!  It is crazy, you feel and think of yourself as so much older than what you are.  It is fun to look at pictures and the wedding video and reminisce about those times.  It is nuts how much things change in just 10 years!  Anyway, so it is a very exciting time in our family.  On top of that, my brother and my sister’s fiancé were able to come home for Thanksgiving (live in Washington)!  They do commercial farming and got a huge snow storm therefore they were able to leave 1 ½ weeks early to come home.  It was so nice to have them at our Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday.  Therefore, I am very thankful!  This time of year makes you realize how thankful you are for your family and those that are close to you.  It also makes you realize who really matters and , well, who doesn’t.  I am not trying to be mean but there are times that you come to realize that people you call family or that you view as being close to, really are not what you thought they were.  That they are not positive influences in your or your children’s life, they are selfish and only think of themselves.  This past weekend really opened my eyes to that and made me think.  Who do I invest my time in?  Who do I surround myself with?  How do I feel around those that I call family or friends?  How do I feel about my children being around those that I call family or close friends?  It is good to have a reality check once in awhile and to reevaluate your priorities and who you make time or go out of your way for and who you don’t.  With that said, I am very Thankful for my family, my husband, children, parents, siblings, in-laws…  I feel very blessed to have the family that I have with my blood and the ones I have inherited when I married my husband.  We are all very close and even though we may not see each other as often as we would like, we are all there for each other in a heartbeat.  Yes we are different people and have different opinions and beliefs but we respect each other and love each other for our differences.  We don’t tear each other down or leave each other hanging when in need.  Those qualities in what I call FAMILY, I have become very thankful for and cherish!

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!   

Monday, November 22, 2010

Blah Monday….

This is so not how I wanted to feel today….  I wanted to be on top of my game today and start off this week on a good note.  Not really sure where it is coming from except that I have a massive headache and staring at a computer screen all day is not helping matters at all… To start things off we woke up late again, ugh!!!  It completely messes my day up when I don’t have my normal wake up time, ect…  I am going to unplug the alarm clock and reset it and hopefully that will work.  Ever since the time change, it has been messed up as far as when it goes off.  I also feel so sleep deprived today and not real sure why… Yes we had a rather hectic weekend so maybe that is some of it.  I just want to go home in a dark quiet room and go to sleep.  I don’t feel like going to church tonight ( we have it tonight instead of Wed. due to the holiday), I don’t feel like doing Thanksgiving on Thursday, black Friday shopping Friday, or our Thanksgiving Saturday!  Everything suddenly looks huge and impossible and no fun.  I hate this cause I was looking so forward to it all.  I am hoping that it will soon pass and it is just the headache that is causing it all.  I hate this feeling especially this time of year.  I so want to enjoy it and enjoy the family time, I don’t want to be moody or blah feeling.

So sorry for the whiny post today, just getting some of my “feelings” out there I guess…

On a side note, as I mentioned earlier, we had a hectic but good weekend!  I took a ½ day Friday to help with the bake sale at church.  It was a huge day and was baking till 9pm that night but it went so smoothly and we were able to get it all done in one day!  I came home from that and made a pasta salad for a birthday party on Saturday ( I have become famous with this pasta salad and it is so easy!)  Saturday, hubby got up and went to work, the kids and I got up and around and left around 9:30 to head to Merriville to Albanese Candy Factory to get about 20# of blue candy for my sisters wedding.  Instead of nuts and mints she is doing a candy bar.  I have never heard of it but it should be interesting.  After the Candy Factory we headed to Target to get a few things then over to Portage to the birthday party.  It was a lot of fun and so cute!  The first birthday’s are so fun I think.  We headed home to which both kids konked out so I had to work to stay awake myself but didn’t do too bad.  Soon after I got home, my sister brought up my 4 month old niece and I had her Saturday night and thru church Sunday.  Then we took her back and had lunch with my family, came home, had choir practice and church, came home and went to bed and viola! We are here!  After typing this, maybe I know where my headache is coming from…..hmmm….

Hoping to post some pics this week of the holidays and some other random stuff….

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

One Week Away….YIKES!!!!!!!!


Wow, I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is that close!!!!!  Where has this year gone!  People are not lying when they say that times speeds up with age… I remember as a child, the Holidays would never come it seemed and then when they did, they were over just like that and we had to wait a whole year all over again (my birthday is in January so it would be a long wait...hehehe!)  Now that I have my own children and family (very Thankful for) it seems that it is here before you know it!  There is never enough time, energy, money to go around it seems.  But there is nothing like the house being decked out, Christmas music playing, making candy and treats, the joy on children’s faces….

This week I am going to be cutting out and sewing a skirt for my mom for my sister’s wedding.  She didn’t have time or a sewing machine and I have both so I offered.  I am kind of excited!  It has been awhile since I have actually sewn something other than mending…  Plus I have some little projects I need to get finished up so hopefully it will give me a chance to do that as well!  Next Thursday we will be doing Thanksgiving with my husband’s side of the family and then taking my daughter to my cousin’s and either getting my brother to come to the house or taking my son to him.  We are going black Friday shopping!!!!!!!!  Yay!  Can’t wait.  I am not die hard about it but I think it is fun and always enjoy good deals if I can!  Saturday we are going to do our own Thanksgiving.  I think my mom and maybe sister might come up and maybe a few other, not sure yet… This will be the first that I actually do Thanksgiving at my house!  I am excited!  This is the menu so far….

Appetizers: (haven’t officially decided yet)
            Ham and pickle rolls
            Artichoke dip
            Veggie pizza bars

Main Course:
            Turkey
            Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
            Sw. Potato Soufflé
            Dressing
            Green Bean Casserole
            Relish Tray
            Deviled Eggs
            Dinner Rolls
            Corn Chip Salad
            Cranberry Salad ?
           
Dessert
            Pumpkin Torte
            Carmel Apple Cheesecake
            Maybe some pies

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions or favorite menu items?

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Weekend Recap


Ahhhh!!!!!!!  What a weekend!  Everything seemed to go well!  My sister got a lot of nice stuff from her bridal shower.  I am so happy for her!  The surprise birthday party went really well on Saturday!  I think Mom really enjoyed herself!  It was good to see people I haven’t seen in awhile and to meet people that I hear about but have never met.  There were quite a few people that had RSVP’d that were not able to show so needless to say we had a TON of food!!!!!  Instead of trying to divide it up and it going bad in our refridgerators, we decided to donate to a local homeless shelter.  That felt really good!  Yes it was a lot of money spent on preparing food, but it would have gone to waste if we would have tried to take it home and this way we were able to entertain and have a good time and help out people in need as well.  Very good feeling!  Sunday I made a ham, cheesy potatoes, corn casserole, dinner rolls (leftover from party) and apple crisp (leftover from party).  My sister and hubby and daughter came up after church for dinner.  It was very nice and relaxing and felt good to fix a good meal on a Sunday!  Needless to say after that weekend I was exhausted!  Hubby wasn’t feeling the greatest and daughter was so cranky!!!!  Hubby decided to stay home with sinus pressure and headache Sunday evening and it was so tempting to join him but I had this still small voice in my head saying I needed to press thru and go to church, God had something for me.  So after my sis left, I finished cleaning up the kitchen, got the kids dressed, diaper bag packed and off we went!  Boy was service amazing!!!!  Our pastor taught an awesome message on King Saul titled “Decay of a man, loss of a crown”.  It was so good and so much needed for my soul!  I soaked up everyword that I could while still taking care of a cranky 15 mo old.  Altar service was amazing as well.  I was able to pray thru and lay some of my heavy burdens down that I have been carrying around for the last several months.  Believe me, I am no where near perfect and like the song states that I heard yesterday, “ I may not be over the mountain, but I can see the other side”.   So far this week, I feel so refreashed, like I got that cool drink of water in a very dry and barren land.  I am so thankful that I didn’t give in to the flesh that day, I pushed thru and heeded what the Holy Ghost was trying to speak to me.  It made me think back to a post I read about a week ago.  I believe it was titled “Moving…when the flesh doesn’t want to.  There was a lot of encouragement in that post and I believed it helped me in that situation!

Anyway, that is a recap of my busy, exhausting but very rewarding weekend!  Hope you have a good week!  Comments are welcome! J

Friday, November 12, 2010

Finally Friday

Whew!  Thank goodness it is Friday!  This week went fast and drug all at the same time!  So much stuff, so little time.  Seems to be the story of my life anymore!  This weekend is packed again as usual.  Tonight, my hubby and son are going to a b-day party for a little boy at church. My daughter and I have a bridal shower for my sister.  I am excited and sad at the same time.  It is so exciting to see her getting all this stuff and to see her so happy but am so sad she is moving clear across the US!  Hopefully we will be able to go visit in the spring or summer next year to break it up, otherwise it will be a very long year L  Tomorrow we are having a surprise b-day party for my mother-in-law.  Shhhh!!!!!  It should be lots of fun but there is a lot of preparing and decorating that will need to be done!  Very thankful for a wonderful sister-in-law!  You have helped out and done tons!!!!  Sunday we will have church in the morning and then I am making ham, cheesy potatoes, dinner rolls, veggie or salad and a yummy pumpkin dessert!  My sis, brother-in-law and niece are coming up for dinner!  I am so excited, don’t even remember the last time we had Sunday dinner company!  I grew up with it being the norm, at least 1 or 2X a month.  So I am really looking forward to it!  Then, my week starts all over again!

In my studying and reading this week, the thing that is sticking out the most (maybe something God is trying to tell me) is that we must put our thoughts, feelings, desires and wants aside.  When I repented of my sins, was baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Ghost, I died out to this old carnal man. Romans 8:7; I Corinthians 15:31. I put on a new name, the Name of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, it isn’t about me or what I think or want.  It is about fulfilling God’s will and doing my part in His Perfect Plan.  It is about making Heaven my home, staying on the straight and narrow and leading others that are lost to Him along the way. Matthew 7:13-14 I can’t listen to my “hurt” feelings, my “bright” ideas or any other of “my” thoughts that pop up here and there.  If I listen to this flesh, it will lead me straight to a devils Hell. Yes, Hell is real, it is hot, it is horrible and tormenting and it is for ETERNITY!!!!!  So when things have popped up here and there, I have tried to think about that and question my feelings.  Is it the Holy Ghost speaking to me or is it this flesh that is trying to trip me up?  Remember, it is the little foxes that spoil the vine! Song of Solomon 2:15.  Happy Friday!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

He'll Do It Again

Don't really have words to say how I have been feeling lately, especially today but this song gives me hope so thought I would share!  Broken, sad, scared and lost.....

You may be down and feel like God
Has somehow forgotten
That you are faced with circumstances
You can't get through
But now it seems that there's no way out
And you're going under
God's proven time and time again
He'll take care of you

God knows the things you're going through
And He knows how you're hurting
You see he knows just how you're heart
Has been broken in two
But He's the God of the stars, of the sun and the sea
And He is your Father
You see He can calm the storm
And He'll find some way to fix it for you

CHORUS
And He'll do it again
He'll do it again
If you'll just take a look
At where you are now
And where you've been
Well hasn't He always come through for you
He's the same now as then
You may not know how
You may not know when
But He'll do it again

Friday, November 5, 2010

Friday and Snowing

Today I am thankful that it is Friday!  Woohoo!  Gotta love the weekend!  Although when I stop and think about it, we are busy every weekend from now till the end of the year.... depressing isn it?  But I am not letting that get me down!  There is a saying that keeps going thru my head lately :
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
This is so true!  If it is out of my control, then I need to accept it and move on!  But if it is something that I have control over and can change, then I need to change it and quit complaining, right?  The kicker is having the wisdom to know the difference. 

Anyway, excited to start my weekend and it is SNOWING!

Comments are welcome! :)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Being Thankful

Although I feel you should do this on a daily basis, this season always makes me focus on everything I am thankful for and do have instead of what I don’t have.  It seems that there is so much going on lately.  So many crossroads, so many decisions to make or face…. “Why” I find myself asking…. Simple word, Satan.  It seems that we will just get thru one trial and we find ourselves in another. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 comes to mind. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” Our pastor just taught on this verse and I have been chewing on it ever since.  If I focus on every trial that I go thru and all the bad stuff it brings or causes, I will become very depressed.  But look at what the verse says, troubled but not distressed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted not forsaken, cast down not destroyed.  If we are truly God’s people, his children, we may have troubles come our way but we are not supposed to become distressed, we are to claim the victory in Jesus Christ’s name before it ever happens because he also said we are persecuted but NOT forsaken.  God is always with us as long as we are true to Him and his calling.  As long as we are humble and obedient to His Word and Will in our lives.

So even thru all the trials that have been thrown our way lately, I am thankful!  I am thankful for my family, my wonderful, loving, hard working husband; two beautiful children that are complete blessings and miracles from God Almighty; a good, stable, flexible job that allows me to be there for my family whenever they need me since I am unable to be at home at the moment; our home, while it may need quite a bit of work, we have done so much to it in the last year without taking out any additional loans, Praise God! He provides! ; freedom to serve and worship Him; the Revelation of who He is, the perfect plan of salvation, being baptized in his Name, The Name of Jesus Christ, and being filled with his spirit, The Holy Ghost…. These are just a few things that come to my mind off the top of my head.  Although, I am unable to really get on here everyday and post, I am going to try to post several things a week this season that I am truly thankful for.  Things that pop up or come to me thru out the week.

I am curious and anxious to see what God has done for you; what you are thankful for!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Breaking Chains

This is the song on my heart today...God is great and Greatly to be Praised!  I feel a revival in my soul and am claiming back the ground the devil stole from me!

Chorus
Can’t you hear the sound of breaking chains No longer bound / No more the same Freedom for captives in Jesus’ name Can’t you hear the sound of breakin’ chains

Verse 1Though Paul and Silas in chains were bound No bits of iron could keep them down They started praising and when they sang They heard the sound of breaking chains

Verse 2There at the alter on the day I knelt Its hard to tell you of the power I felt Just how it freed me I can’t explain But I heard the sound of breaking chains

Verse 3The day is coming when the saints will rise The law of gravity will not apply The graves will open and those that remain Are gonna hear the sound of breakin chains

Happy November!!!!!!

I am getting ready to walk out the door this morning with my daughter to go to babysitter/work, when my loving husband calls out from the next room: “Hey Stephanie, Do you know what today is?  It is November 1st which means they will be starting to play Christmas music on the radio!!!!!!”  and then he start belting out a Christmas song….sigh.

Is it really that time of year again?  The temperature this morning tells me yes it is.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful October is over.  I love the season, the weather, leaves changing, cool crisp mornings, hay rides, bon fires, etc… but I HATE Halloween and everything it stands for. (Just speaking it plain)  Even before I was serving the Lord, I never really cared for it.  I wasn’t raised celebrating it, I was raised knowing that it was celebrating evil and we didn’t do that.  I now know more of the meaning of the holiday which makes me despise it even more. Halloween isn’t just about dressing up and getting candy, it is a very evil holiday!  It definitely makes me think, why I celebrate each holiday we celebrate.  Is it just tradition or do I know what it stands for and the true meaning behind each of them…  Anyway, enough of that…

I still can’t believe that it is the Holiday season again!  It is always a bittersweet time for me.  I get so excited; I love making huge meals, the smells, candles going, decorations, buying and wrapping gifts, the joy on my children’s faces, playing in the snow, Christmas music, hot cocoa or hot cider, etc…. But then it is over and we have 3 more months of winter before warmer weather L  It seems like our Holidays are so busy and rushed, we have so many get together’s to go to (divorced parents and all their parents have get together’s).  This year we both want to make our own traditions and meals.  Even if it is just us 4,  I want my kids growing up with memories of their own home, not going everywhere else.  Growing up, we never celebrated Thanksgiving or very rarely and Christmas’s were so packed with going to Grandparent that we really didn’t do anything special at home.  I want different for my children.  Corbyn is 7!  Time is moving too quickly!  Sorry for the long Monday post.  Lot going thru my head.

What are your traditions you have started with your families?  How do you juggle the hustle and bustle of the Holidays and still take time to enjoy it with your own family?  What do you say no to?

Submission


What does that really mean?  To be submissive?  Here is the Webster’s Dictionary definition….
-        Inclined or ready to submit; acknowledging one's inferiority; yielding; obedient; humble.
 - Showing a readiness to submit; expressing submission; as, a submissive demeanor.

I have been thinking about this a lot when it comes to being a submissive wife, which is what the Bible commands us to be.  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.--Colossians 3:18  ; "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." -Ephesians 5:22
Am I doing everything I know to be submissive?  Do I really know what it means and takes?  When I really thought about it, the answer is no.  I have become very stubborn and opinionated over the years. This makes me really sad and ashamed.  I am in the beginning stages of really studying this out.  What the bible says on this manner, on being a godly, Christian wife, really.  There is a lot going thru my head lately and a lot of emotions and feelings I am trying to sort out but one thing I have came to the conclusion is I want to be a better wife.  One that is submissive to her husband, that is a help meet, And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him-- Genesis 2:18.  I truly believe that in doing this, I will not only become a better wife but a mother, friend, sister, employee, etc… a better person in general.  I discovered Blue Letter Bible. Com yesterday for the first time and love it!  I have so much reading materials and scriptures to research already!  I am really excited and can’t wait to see how it changes me!  How God changes me thru is Word.  It amazes me how you can pick up the Word and read and it completely changes you!  And people say that the Word isn’t alive?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Compromise

Definition:
 
1. agreement: a settlement of a dispute in which two or more sides agree to accept less than they originally wanted
After hours of negotiations a compromise was reached.
2. something accepted rather than wanted: something that somebody accepts because what was wanted is unattainable
3. potential danger or disgrace: exposure to danger or disgrace




Something I have been thinking about and dealing with a lot lately....  But I think I have been dealing with different meanings of the word.  On one hand, I feel that is what my husband and I have to do a lot of, especially lately for some reason, COMPROMISE.  I struggle with it really cause it doesn't seem fair on one hand that we are constantly having to meet in the middle on subjects or issues.  For some reason anymore it seems we are on opposite ends and have to COMPROMISE our wants, desires, feelings, etc...  On the other hand I know that it takes lots of COMPROMISE in order for a marriage to work successfully so maybe this is God's way of seasoning our marriage ???.... 

But then there is COMPROMISING our beliefs which we refuse to do but seem like more and more people I never thought would ask us to, people that is supposed to be friends, family, who are there to support you, no matter what your decision is or if they agree or not, those are the ones asking us to COMPROMISE!  Why?  It is so frustrating.  People feel like I am judging because I don't cut my hair or wear pants and make up, I don't go to places that serve alcohol, I don't go to movie theatres, etc...  I am not judging, I am living my life the way I feel is right, the way my bible tells me I should live.  Yes, not all those things are in the bible but my bible does tell me to Obey them that have rule over me (pastor)(Hebrews 13:17), therefore if my Pastor has a guideline in place because he feels it is not expediant for my soul, then I MUST obey in order to not be sinning.  My bible also says obedience is better than sacrifice.( Samuel 15:22 & Proverbs 17:1).  Just because I don't go places you go or do things you do, does not mean I am judging you, I am simply doing what I believe and what my bible tells me is important to make Heaven my home.  If you feel judged, maybe it is your own convictions and if that is true, please don't turn them aside!  Search it out and seek God's truth!  He may be calling you!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Up and running....

Well here goes... I am in desprete need to have a place where i unload.  I know keeping everything bottled up is not good so decided to give this a try and see if it helps put things in perspective and helps me reflect on my thoughts, feelings and actions.  Not sure yet if I will open this up to public or not but going to treat it as my journal for the time being and see where it leads me to....
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