My New Year's Challenge to U and Myself also!

I am making it my goal to read the Bible through in a year! Trying to read it Every Single Day in 2009! That will be a tough challenge for me! I have been trying to do this for years and always fail! So I am thinking if I post it on here and you all can hold me accountable and I can post things every now and then to see if you all are reading your Bible everyday! Please help me in my walk with Christ in this? We are also challenging Mark to read through the New Testament this year. Reading a little bit EVERY day also. Pray for our success in this as well, Please?

Above picture!

The above picture is Debbie(JR's mom) and his sister Lynzie as a baby! So adorable!

Christmas Shoes!

This song has been healing and helped JR and I get through some of this. I just wanted to share it with you all! Get out the tissues!

God Loves U!

This video is a touching heartfelt story that just broke mine as I watched it! Thinking from a mom's perspective! Imagining that being one of my children! He really does love us!

I know this is late but not too late for NewYears Eve! LOL

Tips for enjoying the holidays to the fullest



Enjoy the spirit of the festivities.



1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.


2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!


3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.


4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.


5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?


6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.


7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies or pralines in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.


8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always hav e three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?



9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.


10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:



"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"



Have a great Christmas season

Christmas is going to be tough this Year!

If some of you don't read my husband's blog , you should. He posted a thing about his mom about what all she meant to him! She is very ill and dying very very soon! We aren't sure if she will make it until Christmas or not. For that reason we are not going to MN this year for Christmas. Please Pray for our family.

She is a much loved women. I don't know of a single soul that would speak ill of her! I have been very blessed to have her for a Mother-In-Law!! I could not have had a better MIL! She always made me feel welcome in her home! Always has Chocolate milk for the kids and a 2L if my fave soda! Even in the dead of winter she would have strawberries in her patch for the kids to pick! ;) I wonder how that happened? The only thing we ever disagreed upon was how much sugar the kids "needed" ;) She always wanted them to be happy and have whatever would make them happy. It hurt her heart to hear them cry! She always wanted to make sure they were ok. She will be dearly missed in our family! Her memory will live on in all of us! This is going to be a very hard holiday season for all of us! Especially the kids. Alexis and Mark are both taking this all very hard! They have both broken down several times. Please pray for them especially! Thank you all so much for your prayers in advance!

I got the JOB!

YAY! I got the job! Looks like I will be starting training in January! I will also be doing paperwork and all the particulars this Firday! I am so excited! I hope this works out as well as it seems it will for me and my whole schedule and such! YAY!

Job Interview!

Well, I thought I would let you all know I had a job interview today! I was informed of this job through Matura here in Creston. It is a Breastfeeding Peer Councilor! The job will consist of an average of 10 hours a week mostly phone calls and such from home. They will provide me with a cell phone. Then I would have to go into the office on Monday AM's to turn in my time card and check e-mail etc! But it seems that this job will fit into my schedule nicely and I like that I can still, for the most part, stay home. Their might be meetings where I have JR watch the kids or need a sitter but it sounds like a very good fit for me. Plus I am very pro-breastfeeding. I should know next week for sure if I can get the job or not. Please pray for the Lord's will in all this. Thanks in advance for any prayers!

Thought I would share these with you my friend shared them with me!

FREE REDBOX MOVIES

These codes are good each Sunday in December only @ Walmart locations
Week 1 (Sunday 12/7) - 11moms4uS (good for this day only)

Week 2 (Sunday 12/14) - 11moms4uA (good for that day only)

Week 3 (Sunday 12/21) - 11moms4uN (good for that day only)

Week 4 (Sunday 12/28) - 11moms4uT (good for that day only)

Week 5 (Sunday 1/4/09) - 11moms4uA (good for that day only)

A friend of mine is having a give-away! I hope you all will check it out and c what you might win. She does a blog about living the Christian life and living frugally! I always enjoy reading it! Hope u do too! Check it out!

Photo shoot of Ethan! Had a blast!

I am going to number them I want to know which ones are your faves? It is hard for me to choose I love them all! I did some color too but I will post those too. He has been a bit under the weather so the color ones show the redness in his face more. But these turned out awesome!
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15


Please let me know what you think? I have more to down load but can't seem to get them to upload! I will keep trying.

What a sight!

This morning I woke up and took my shower... then I went in to peak on the kids c if any of them were up.. and low and behold, I saw a bare naked baby bum sticking up in the air! Ethan had stripped his clothes and diaper obviously early in the night! What a sight! I got him out and sat him on the potty.. he went... then JR gave him a shower! A much needed shower! His bed was saturated in urine! and so was he! I had to laugh or I might have cried! One of those unforgetable moments! I am very thankful he didn't go #2! LOL, then I probably would have cried!

Some pics of Ethan! (on his 2nd B'day)

Ethan just being a cutie batootie!




This is his excited face when he saw the "boons".



"Boons up!", it was hot air balloon days here in Creston the day we had his b'day party.

This says IT ALL!

More Pics from the Memorial Garden

The camera man getting a good shot of the garden!



I was watching through the church window bc Ethan was so FUSSY! So I had to wait and watch from in there!

The reporter talking to JoLynn's family.


Two Friends of Kali's that got tatoos of angels with "Kali Moore" above them.

I am not a tatoo gal but I thought they were very tasteful and honored her nicely.

My own lil "shopping" saving spree!

I was so pumped last night. I have come in contact with a mom that has helped me with some saving tips. She found coupons online for $3 off of TGIF snack items! They retail for $3.12. But this week Wal*Mart had them on sale for $2.50! SO THAT MEANS THEY PAID ME $.50 TO TAKE THEM FROM THE STORE! I used the overage to pay for some much needed cereal along with coupons I had. So here is all I got: 39 TGIF snack items, 9 boxes of general mills cereal, one $3 clearance backpack (Lex's had broken zippers), and a $3.75 hoodie that was on clearance (for Mark for Christmas). The total before coupons was $125.19. After coupons I paid a whopping... $2.66!!! I was so excited and you should have seen JR's face when I walked in the door! He guessed that I paid around $40-$45! THANK YOU DESIREE!!!

On the news, FINALLY!

The garden was on KCCI on Monday night and I totally missed it but they did post it on the site! LMK what you think?

KCCI here Tuesday... for the dedication of the Memeorial Garden!

Tomorrow KCCI will be here for the dedication of the memorial garden! It is supposed to be on the 5pm news either on Wednesday or Thursday they didn't know! You can also check it out on KCCI.com! Well to update .. we did find out it will not be on until Monday evening on the 5pm news!

FIREPROOF!

Fireproof is a movie that I hope to see very soon! But I have heard nothing but raves about it! LMK if you have seen it or are going to and what you think of it?

Yet more pics from the garden!

More Garden Photos

Further along more planting and other things.

Kids even got to help!

Memorial Garden

These are the beginning photos of the memorial garden we got for Kali and the others killed in the tragic accident!


This is the benches!

This one is the full view prior to any planting or anything. Kali's side is the Left one.

I will post more pics soon of the finished project. Accept there will be much more flowers next spring!

Today is the first day of my new JOB!

I have started babysitting today! I will be babysitting for a mom who works at a pre-school so the hours work out pretty nice! I will be working when my kids are in school and off when they are off. I will have a 6mo baby, a 3 yo girl and 4yo boy. The older 2 won't be all the time though. I will have Friday's off too. I really am looking forward to the extra money! It will help with our new vehicle payment and such. Anyway here I go on my new adventure! I will get my baby fix for a while so I don't feel that tugging again! LOL! Plus I will get to wear a baby again too. I only wear Ethan when it's a necessity anymore, he is too heavy.

Friend of ours found dead.

Creston News Advertiser reported a friend of ours found dead, he was a known epileptic in our town yet the police felt it necessary to TASER him. DUH! He is as gentle as a lamb and wouldn't hurt a fly! There is no way that those police couldn't have restrained him. If that was even necessary?? I am just appalled that this even happened. Another black Mark for our "glorious" police department! Please pray for our church and family of Ron in this time.

JUST found a video of the performance for the 4th of July!

My girls were in the talent show on the 4th of July and I just found a video on our newspapers web site!!! I was so excited to see it because I didn't get it recorded myself!

Yet another good poem... Your Highest Vocation!

YOUR HIGHEST VOCATION!

Dear happy homemakers, a wonderful breed,
God’s purpose for you is to raise a godly seed,
Children that are obedient, holy and pure,
With mother at home, they’ll be happy and secure.

Secure in God’s love and protected from the world,
Guarded from evil and grounded in God’s Word
By a mother who has embraced her calling divine,
The prophetic word God gave from the beginning of time.

You’re now planted at home, you’ve found your “glory”!
Left your job behind - that was another story!
You’ve now been promoted to a much higher career!
You’re in God’s perfect will so you don’t have to fear.

You’re nurturing, nourishing and building your nest,
Under your husband’s covering, you’re totally blessed.
God has promised to provide, He is Jehovah Jireh,
He will always be faithful, He is not a liar.

You are an “arrow polisher”, daily sharpening your arrows,
You’re not pecking on the ground like little sparrows,
But soaring like the eagle, your stature is high,
You’re changing the course of the nation as on God you rely!’

Dear mighty mothers, stand up and be strong,
Don’t be fooled by the enemy and the worldly throng,
Don’t be deceived by the “mindset” of this society,
Embrace your motherhood, it is your highest priority!

Don’t be conformed to the humanistic trend,
It only leads to heartache in the final end.
Be a non-conformist, stand against the tide,
You don’t have to be governed by this world’s pride.

Instead be transformed by God’s living Word,
He is restoring His truth, will you be stirred?
Will you be part of this end-time restoration,
To bring forth the godly seed and change the nation?

God is preparing a people for Jesus’ second appearing,
He wants an army of arrows, trained and unfearing,
Straight arrows to go forth from the parents’ bow,
The deceptions of Satan to overthrow.

May you experience God’s anointing and His daily renewing
As you become part of this revival which is all God’s doing.
You will be part of heralding the coming of the King
As you build God’s army – and His praises will ring.


Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

HELP! Another good poem I found!

HELP!

"Sometimes, dear Lord, it seems as tho' the children never stop!
They ask and ask, and ask again, until my ears near pop!

"Mum, fix my shoe," "Help brush my hair." "I want another drink."
"Come quickly, Mum, I think the cat has fallen in the sink!"
Demands, demands, and more demands, Help, Lord, it's getting tough.

I know that mothers should be kind, but this one's had enough!
What's that, Lord? You mean to say These children are in Your plan?
To help me learn to grow into A more mature woman?

Dear Lord, I know You gave and gave, Had so much patience too.
Help me to see a mother's job can make me more like You.



By Jenny Hodgkinson

No Substitute! Loved this poem!

NO SUBSTITUTE

Swings for arms,
Bottles for breasts,
Advice from the 'experts'
Who think they know best.


'Binky's and monitors
And all sorts of clutter
Think they can take
The place of a mother.


Pre-schools and daycares,
And babysitters, too,
Think they can do
What mothers should do.


Oh listen, dear mother
To words that are true -
No one or nothing
Can care just like you.


Your children are blessings
Loaned from above,
More than money or things
What they need is your love.


By Cynthia Flanagan.

I was published!!

Well I decided to share my joy with you all too after I saw Keren's post on being published. JR actually ran across it when he was reading the magazine! I never expected it ever. YAY! It is in Above rubies and here is the link ( http://rubies.articledirectoree.com/poems/page_3.html )to the Magazine but I can't seem to find the article online but it is in the mag! Issue 74 page 12 if you get it! It is about how to keep children quiet in church. I shared my secrets bags of tricks. We bring real stuff! like a roll of masking tape and washed up vaseline jar and several other real things.

Very nice motel in Denver!

We were blessed to find a coupon for $65 for a Marriott (I think) and we also got $20 toward our evening meal and free breakfast buffet (which was $8 each) which was a huge smorgasbord of fruit and waffles and all manner of yummy food! It was so nice and ended up being like like $30 when it was said and done with all the discount! And I will say it was the most comfortable bed I have EVER slept on in my life!!!



Enjoying our breakfast!



Waterfall in the motel!



Trying to get them up out of those comfy beds was quite a challenge!



Honestly it was for us too but we didn't take pics of that! ;)



That was such a blessing!

The music was a bit loud for them that night!



Smile Girls!



Smile Mark!



Lex enjoying worship!



Mark getting into the worship,too!



We had so much fun out there!