Safe in the arms of God

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 
~3 John 1:4

     Sunday Morning started out well enough. We were up at 7:30am. I put on lunch while the children bathed and dressed for church. It seemed like the perfect morning, which was a blessing since Donald was working that morning and unable to help diffuse arguments and fix disastrous outfits.

Then things started getting chaotic. One child couldn't find his clothes, another wanted to wear something 2 sizes too small, why it wasstill in his closet I am unsure.

The girls were fussing over toys and their hair had yet to be done. And I entertained the idea of just skipping church and staying home.After all, it would be easier. 

That is when the Lord brought Hebrews 10:25 to mind.Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

So off to church we went. Half way to church Annaliese asked ifAunt Tina would be there.  After hearing "I don't think so" She said "Mama we need to live right so Aunt Tina and her kids will get saved." Now my sister has made a profession of faith and so have 2 of her children, this showed me that Annaliese knows that God wants us to worship together as an outward testimony of Christ's love and provision for us. She thought for a moment and then stated very matter of factly "Mama I am going to get saved today." And she did, about 3 minutes later Annaliese prayed and asked Jesus into her heart. She made a  public profession after church, what a big girl she is becoming and what a blessing that she loves Jesus. Then we packed up and got ready to head home. I was getting in the van and Amarissa had come to the front seat to tell me she was so glad Annaliese was a Christian. Then she said "Mama, I want to get saved too and have Jesus in my heart." Amarissa had been raising her hand for a few months at the end of each service when our Pastor would ask if there was anyone present that was unsaved and if so could they raise their hand and he would pray for them. It was amazing seeing God deal with her little heart and bring his Will to fruition in her life. So we bowed our heads in the church parking lot and Amarissa too asked Jesus to come into her heart and save her." There is no greater joy than to know that all 5 of my children are saved. That they will

get the opportunity to serve the Lord with the majority of their lives and that they have a burden to see others brought to our Loving God. If you too are in need of our savior below is His plan of salvation. All you have to do is believe Christ is the Son of God and confess this with your mouth and you too will be saved.

We are all lost in sin 

Romans 3:10 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I John 1:8 -  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

We are all in need of a Holy Savior

Romans: 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 John 3:36 -  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

We cannot save ourselves

 Titus 3;5,6 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

  Ephesians 2:8,9 -  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Only Jesus Christ can save us

 Hebrews 2:9 -  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 

 I Timothy 2:5 -  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

We are saved through Faith in Jesus Christ

 John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:18 - He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Losing Weight Adventurously

Last week's 1/2 basket

Last weeks full basket

So last week I joined a veggie co-op. We have been looking for a good one since Amarissa was born. So basically I place my order each week and then on Saturday I go pick up my baskets of goodies (since we are a larger family I buy and basket and a half). This has challenged me to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to healthy eating. Last week we stayed pretty close to our comfort zone but this week we are trying fresh roasted beets and their greens and turnip greens. I am eating and liking foods I never would have thought possible. Until this week I had only tasted canned beets, not a good thing. I never ate greens except spinach in salad, now I am eating them boiled, baked and fresh. The best part is I feel great. So I challenge you this week to try a new veggie and a new fruit. Get creative with it and most importantly have fun!

Our spinach and strawberries

The lesson of 2 lbs.

So I am 3 months into my weight loss journey. It has been going great, until last week....I had weigh in last Friday and knew I had not done well. Not because I hadn't followed plan or worked out, I could just tell I wasn't losing, which in and of itself is invigorating because before this journey I never knew whether I had lost or gained. So I stepped on the doctor's scale and it showed a 2lb gain, A GAIN!!!! How could that be??? My doctor asked me to journal for a week, increased my medication for PCOS and insulin resistance. I went home in tears, after a very heartfelt pep talk from my doc. What had I done wrong? Was this going to be a failure like everything else I have tried? Should I quit and just learn to live with my weight? I wanted answers and wanted them immediately. I scoured the kitchen, reading labels and calculating tsps of sugar in every thing. I asked my husband if he knew of any thing that I was doing wrong, he was clueless and so was I. So against my norm I decided to give journaling a good shot not just a half hearted try. I started on Saturday and on Sunday I discovered a change in our almond milk. We had been buying unsweetened and somehow original had been bought by mistake and I use that every morning (unsweetened has like 1g of sugar original has like 7g) so we immediately changed back. I also noticed that I wasn't drinking as much water as I had in the beginning so I drank even when I wasn't thirsty. And I kept journaling. Today I went for the one week weigh in and I had lost 5 lbs, I couldn't believe that these two missteps were to blame for a gain. And obviously my body needed a higher dose of my metformin.

However, I am glad it happened. This week I learned a few things about myself. I learned that I really want this weight loss, more than I have ever wanted anything, and I don't mind working for it. Even when things are bleak and the outcome is less than perfect. I learned that if we quit when we hit a small bump in the road (my doc's words not mine, it felt like a HUGE mountain in the road to me) we will never get anywhere and will always fail. Last but not least I now know when my body is gaining for the first time ever. So I thank the Lord for my 2 lb gain, it sure taught me more than  I could have ever imagined. And I think that it will lessen the blow when my body decides to plateau, I will know that "this too shall pass".

Redefining Frugal

Since Christmas things have changed drastically around our home food wise. We have 2 kids back on a full time gluten free diet. Our oldest daughter can no longer tolerate processed foods or school lunch due to severe reflux, and last but not least Donald and I are now on a low carb diet. So I am spending more on food than I ever have. With these changes have come huge amounts of guilt. I know that sounds strange since I am shopping for the good of my family. But when you go from spending $1.50 on a bag of pretzels to $6.35 for their gluten free counter parts, some guilt creeps up on you. Not to mention we are eating more protein than we used to, which is healthy and good for us but is also a little more expensive. So I haven't been posting a lot on the frugal end of things because our frugal has changed and I am playing around with things to see how we can get the budget down and still adhere to our new way of eating. We do eat 95% fresh fruit, veggies and lean meat, instead of always buying gluten free noodles and bread, cake mixes. I do splurge for the kids lunches since they need something portable and easy to eat for school.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today Donald and I celebrate our 9th Valentine's Day together. I have been in a reflective mood this year as we approached Valentine's day. As I look back on our 9 years there are a lot of great memories. God has packed a lot of blessings in our time together. We met, got engaged, we were married, bought a house, I adopted Amber and Alex, we adopted 3 blessings together and he has become my best friend. I am still in awe that I get to spend everyday as his wife and the mother to his children.

picture taken by Jennifer Chastain.

I met Donald when I least expected to find the love of my life. And if I had been really stubborn I would have missed him completely. We have all seen the online dating ads that claim to allow you to meet someone based on your parameters and that gives you a greater relationship and a better chance at succeeding. Well, if I had thought like that I would have missed the greatest blessing in my life (apart from my Lord). I never wanted to marry a man with children, ever. Donald was raising 2. I said I would never go on another blind date....His sister set us up. Donald loves contemporary christian music and I couldn't stand it. I am a HUGE worrier, Donald is laid back and happy almost all of the time. We are opposites on so many levels, however God has made us best friends and has given us a wonderful life together.  I am thankful God blessed me outside of my comfort zone. I have learned so much thanks to my dear husband, and I cannot wait to see what the next 9 Valentine's Days bring us! I love you honey!

Loving Others, our church's legacy.

Donald and I as a married couple have had awesome experiences with church and our church family. When Amarissa was about 2 she was having night time seizures and the pre-episodes would start around 5pm so it made it hard to get back and forth to church. As a result we started missing more services than we attended. So we started praying that God would give us clear direction as to what was best for our family. The seizures continued so we started praying about a new church that was closer, 30-40 mins in the car with a toddler that was screaming the entire time was no picnic. After months of visiting we were discouraged and thought we would never find a church where we fit. One Sunday morning we were at a loss as to what to do next. Donald half jokingly said "Google Baptist Churches". So I did, you never know right? At the top of that list was Faith Baptist Church. We visited and ended up joining. This church and church family has been such a healing balm to Donald and I. They have shown us what it truly means to love one another and be a church family. When we homeschooled the Pastor and his visiting partner would just drop by to say Hi to the kids and to be an encouragement. Our Pastor's wife is one of my best friends and when we miss she takes the time to call and keep us up to date with prayer requests and lessons. Not to mention the many "older couples" who love our children and are always there with a hug and a smile. Donald and I are even blessed to have a couple that is close to our age who also have small children to hang out with and who have become like family to us. They challenge us by their love and commitment to the Lord to become stronger Christians and better parents. 

And I cannot say enough about the young people in our church. Amber is our only "teen girl" and we have two young men who serve the Lord in our children's church. They are kind, patient and have a sweet spirit toward the younger children in our church. They are always looking for ways to make God's word more real for our pre teens and to challenge them to grow spiritually. Something that is not the norm in today's society. This group of believers have taught us so much about ministering and edifying one another. We are blessed to be part of this family.

Pinkalicious Fever!

I usually don't get super excited about kids books. I love them but they are all equal in my eyes usually. However Pinkalicious has found a special place in mine and my girls' hearts. The story is about a little girl "Pinkalicious" who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink, pink hair, pink skin, the works! Her mom takes her to the doctor who diagnoses her with pinkititis and prescribes a diet of green veggies. If you have a little girl and remember what it is like to fall in love with the color pink, you should take the time and share this book with your little blessing.

My Day In Pictures

We received this beautiful plaque from our sweet Mellisa!

My low carb chipotle chicken wrap

Amarissa and Annaliese made this arrangement for your enjoyment.

Our Valentine's Stash.

It's a Frosty Day Valentine's Day 7

 

Yesterday's Valentine treats were frosties!

My children adore these cold, sweet treats.

And I have to admit they are loving all the candy.

We never eat sweets this much...lol.

Valentine's Day 6

Goodies for Amarissa and Annaliese

Goodies for Alex and Drew

And I couldn't leave my sweetie out...I even slipped in an SD Card.

No More Mega Parties!

This year Donald and I have decided that we will throw no more "mega parties" for our kids. Let's face it. kids only want three things when it comes to a party. 1. Friends/Family, 2. Cake and 3.Gifts (and they don't have to be expensive just interesting). Why do we as parents make planning a child's birthday party difficult? In all honesty kids parties have turned into extravagant affairs,that only stress mom and dad out and take a toll on the wallet. Who needs that headache? When I was growing up I think I had like 3 store bought cakes (those were for milestone birthdays like my Sweet 16) the rest were made by my mother with the exception of my 7th birthday cake. My Aunt Dee made me a pink three tiered heart cake, I still remember that cake to this day, and I loved it! So we are getting back to our roots in regards to parties. And let's face it we do have 5 children who will hopefully someday either go to college or get married and that money can be put to better use.

Valentine's Day 5

Tonight I lavished my family with super bowl food. We were home today with Amarissa not feeling well. So I cooked lots of snack food and we were able to visit with 2 of our very favorite people tonight. My heart is truly over flowing.

Valentine's Day 3 & 4

Michael and Mellisa

I am sorry I haven't posted pics of day 3and 4. Now that the kids have caught on that they are getting something every day for 14 days they rush to their bags to see what goodie mom and dad have stashed away next so quick that I don't get the chance to snap pics, unless I do so before they are home from school, which I have not been doing. So I will just tell you what they got. Day 3 was a valentine's pencil with a mini moon pie. Day 4 were hair bows for the girls and small puzzles for the boys. Tomorrow I will have a pic to share :) since I am up at midnight putting their goodies in bags and packing my sweetie's lunch for work.

Tomorrow we get a very special visit from Donald's cousin Michael and his wife Mellisa. It is always such a sweet time when our two families can relax and spend some time catching up when they are in town. So I will be buying some snacks and putting together an impromptu spread tomorrow in anticipation of their visit. This is one of my favorite things about slowing down and being content with what you have. It allows us the time to get together with family and share more of our life, than if we were both working and running all over creation. I wasn't made to be a soccer mom or to work out of the home. There is nothing I love more than having my family close to me enjoying the simple pleasures of our everyday life.

Valentine's Day 2

My kids love this stuff, they were raised in the South, go figure. :-)

Valentine's Day 1

Hot Cocoa, Marshmallow Hearts, Foam Picture Frame Craft, 2 choco hearts.