Kingdom Kidz

A new year!

2012-01-26T16:58:00.000-05:00

My goal for 2011 was to get back to the basics in my life. I am still working on that goal, so now it is my goal for 2012. It is a new year though, and I am much closer to being where I want to be. I began by cleaning out and organizing my home. We had too much stuff! I have had many conversations with friends about how I did this and what I did so I am going to write about it. It may take me several posts, so bear with me.

I went room by room and made a list on a legal pad of paper. I do much better when things are written down and this also helped me to let it go. As long as it was down on paper, I did not have to think about it. After I had my list for every room, I asked my husband what was the room that bothered him the most. That is where I started with my de-cluttering and organizing. Our house has an open floor plan, so our first floor is a great room. One room leads into the other, and this is the room he picked. It was overwhelming to me, so I took that room and broke it down into parts. There are many things that are going on in this area: kitchen, school, my desk and our entertainment (television, couch's). I found quickly that in order for me to organize this area I had to get rid of some things, but mostly I had to relocate them to other areas of the house. This became a problem because I had no where to go with them. I wrote down all my ideas for this area and then had to shift my efforts to the basement. We had so much stuff in our basement that we had path's to walk through it all. Yes, we had quite a collection of boxes and stuff! I took it one box at a time, with a goal of at least one box per day. There were days that the box was easy to go through so I did more than one box. Soon, it became really easy for me. I got into a rhythm and was ready to get rid of most of our stuff. I even got my husband excited so he came down and helped me. There were some Saturdays that we were down there as a family going through boxes and putting them into the piles (give away, trash, keep). After a month of working down there almost every day except Sundays, I had cut our boxes down by more than half. I was so excited and it was fun crossing things off of my list for the basement.

We then organized our basement to make it more functional. We now had enough room to bring some of the kids toys downstairs that would work and give them more room to play. I also set up 2 shelves so I can have a pantry which helped me to organize my kitchen better and set up an area for my school supplies and books so I have an area in the basement to keep the stuff I don't use on a daily basis for school. I will try to get some pictures tonight and give you more details on how I have organized these two areas of my basement. I will say this, I was in the basement the other night and decided that I am ready to get rid of more stuff. I still think we have way too much stuff that we are not using. This time, I will take before and after pictures. Please let me know if you have any comments as I want to be a help in any way I can. You may have things to add that may help me too!

School...

2011-08-27T18:20:00.003-04:00

It is that time again. I love this time of year. School starts, football games, friends old and new. It even has a different smell to me. Fall is coming and it just gets me excited. To be honest, I love buying school supplies. This year I am teaching all three of my children. My youngest is going to start kindergarten and he is super excited. The exciting thing is as I am preparing to start school with my kids, I am also getting ready to go to my 20 year class reunion. I am looking forward to seeing my friends from High School. It is kind of exciting to see where I have come as a woman, wife, mom and now teacher and to see the hope that I am passing on to my children as not only their mom, but their teacher. This school year is going to be the best one yet as the Lord has allowed me to teach my children again from home!

Change...

2011-07-29T23:47:00.005-04:00

Change is a constant thing in our lives, especially with kids. God is really moving in our family and it is exciting and hard. Our daughter is giving us some new challenges as she is developing into a young woman, and they are not easy ones. The cool thing is how God is using this situation to really change our family, in a good way. Through this trying time we have come together and become stronger as a family. Other things we have done is turned the television off and not watched it much at all. It has forced the kids to become even more creative and given us more time to do family things. Well, actually, it has given us more time to pack up our house because it is now for sale. So, in my goal of trying to simplify my life this year I am doing pretty good. I am super excited to see where God is going to take us on this journey and can't wait to see our new home.... where ever it will be!

Simple life

2011-06-29T23:01:00.002-04:00

What does that really mean? To live a simple life? How about just getting back to the basics of life. What is the basics of life? For several months now I have been in this purging stage. Just when I think I have gotten rid of enough of my "junk" I realize I still have too much stuff and want to get rid of more. This has been going on for so long now that I think I just want to get rid of everything. I am tired of cleaning around it and having no place to put anything. I realize some of this comes from having 5 people in our house and having a small house, but really, this is because I like things. I want my life to be simple, to get back to the basics. I love the old time movies, where their houses are small and they really don't have anything. Kind of like the Amish today. Eat simple, live simple, enjoy each other and have fun! That is where I want to be. I am on a mission to get rid of more stuff, enjoy my kids way more, and just have more fun! I want to teach my kids that it is not important to have "stuff" but that it is important to be with the people you love and enjoy them and have fun with them. I don't want them to miss out, and I don't want to miss out on them either. So, here is to living a simple life, getting back to the basics, having less stuff, and playing more with my kids!!!!

Week 3

2011-06-29T00:12:00.002-04:00

I have done pretty good these past three weeks. We have had some tough things come at us, and through it all I have managed to watch what I eat and not go off my eating plan. I am so proud of myself. This morning when I weighed myself I am down to 222.5 and am super excited. I have lost 10 pounds and am beginning to feel better. I have not been able to walk due to my knees acting up, but am getting that taken care of and hope to be walking by the end of the week. I am excited to see how this is changing my life for the better. So, for now, I am trying to figure out what my desires are and trying to get my life back to the basics. It just has to be easier than this!

Where will you be?

2011-06-18T21:31:00.003-04:00

Death. It is a word that really makes you think and evaluate your life. Have you ever watched someone take their last breath? Have you prayed for someone while they were laying in that hospital bed not really sure what to pray but knowing that it may be the last time you get to pray for them or with them? How do you comfort the family who is there and not really walking with the Lord while they watch their loved one die? I am a thinker and I was faced with all of these this past week. Thursday morning we received a called informing us that my husbands step dad went in for emergency surgery for his colon and was okay for the moment, but they were trying to get him stable from the surgery. Thursday evening we got a call telling us that they were not sure if he was going to make it through the night. Friday morning we drove out there to support his mom and brother. We found out that they were waiting on us to take the respirator off and wait and see what happens. He lived for about 20 minutes after that and died at 12:10 on Friday. That is the second time in my life that I have watched someone take their last breath here on earth. The first was my Grandma who had fought for 7 days in hospice before giving in and running into Jesus arms to wait for the rest of us. Friday, seemed completely different to me. Maybe it is because I am in a different place in my walk with the Lord, but it was a tough day for me. Death seems so final. There is no more praying for the person. They have made their choices and are now in eternity somewhere. There is no more encouraging them, loving them, guiding them, praying for them. Now, the only thing left is to love the family that is left behind and pray that somehow through this experience they turn to Christ and change their lives. You never know when you will take your last breath and spend the rest of eternity either in the pits of hell or sitting next to Jesus in heaven. I know that I am living my life to the best of my ability to follow the example of Jesus so that when my body finally goes here on this earth I will have a new one in heaven and spend my days gazing into my Daddy's face! Where will you be for all of eternity?

One week later

2011-06-15T22:16:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture of me at 232 pounds. It is the heaviest I have ever been. This was taken last week. I wanted to take a picture of me now so that I remember where I have come from. I have kept to my diet and have been having great success. Today I weighed in at 226. It is more than I expected. Basically, I have watched what I have eaten, high protein and low carbs. I need to drink less diet Pepsi, so that is one goal I have for the future. I drink about four to six glasses of water each day, which is a huge improvement for me! Also, I have worked out each day. Nothing really intense, but got my heart rate up and sweat a lot. I am proud of what I have done! I will continue to post my progress and hope my journey encourages someone to start their weight loss journey too!

Here I go...

2011-06-08T17:15:00.003-04:00

Well, my weight loss journey is finally becoming serious to me. This week (Monday) I began a high protein, low carb diet. I have had the help of a dear friend. She took me shopping and hooked me up. She has been giving me support each day as to what I can eat, and what to do if I am hungry. She has been a huge blessing. So, since Monday, I have stuck to the eating plan, I have drank more water, and I have walked each day. I will walk tonight as that is the best time for me right now. I am so excited. I have weighed myself each morning and am looking forward to seeing the pounds start to come off. My goal weight is 150. I am thinking about taking a picture this week so I can see how far I have come. It is hard for me to post things about me personally, but I am trying to be more transparent, so this is a first step for me. When I get my picture up I will post my weight too. I want to document my journey mostly because I want to be able to see with my own eyes where I have come from so I wont go back again. Looking forward to sharing my journey with you!

Miracles...

2011-04-19T00:14:00.004-04:00

I have been reading in Genesis and Luke lately. So, today I was reading in Luke 8 which was just packed with some pretty amazing stories. The one that I have been thinking about the most though is the last one, Luke 8:40-56. It begins where a man comes and begs Jesus to come to his daughter who is 12 and dying. As they are walking a woman touches the fringe of his cloak and she is instantly healed. Jesus addresses her, but this is not where I want to focus right now. During His conversation with the woman someone from the mans house came to him and told him that his daughter had died and not to bother Jesus anymore. So they make it to this mans house and Jesus only allows Peter, John and James, the girls mom and dad to go into the house. He told them to stop weeping because she is not dead. Then He took her hand and told her to get up... and she did! Now, Jesus instructed the parents not to tell anyone about this miracle that had just taken place. This is what I have been thinking about all day. They just witnessed a miracle and then told not to say a word about it. I can only imagine how hard that would be. I wonder why Jesus tells some people to run and share the miracle with everyone and others He tells them not to say a word about it to anyone else. Maybe, some miracles are just for the person or persons that are involved. It is still a bit of a mystery to me, but I think it is pretty cool how Jesus is revealing things to me that I have not thought about before. I know this much, I am so thankful that He is still in the healing business and am so excited to see my miracle come about!

The Chase?

2011-04-16T22:31:00.003-04:00

Have you ever been told that you should chase after the Lord? Do you chase after him? If you do, what does that mean to you? It is something that I have been pondering and questioning this past week. It is actually something new to me that I have been trying to do in my life. If He is jealous for me, then I should want to chase after Him. One thing I have changed this past week is to give the Lord the best parts of me. I have been dancing with Him, talking with Him, writing love letters to Him and giving Him the best part of my day. It has been amazing to see the transformation in my life by doing these little things, and in my families lives too. Every day, I have set aside time in the early afternoon just to sit at His feet and talk to Him with no agenda of my own. I want to know every part of Him. Have you ever thought about all of His names? There are many, and if He has that many names He must want us to know all about them too. Have you ever wrote Him a love letter, just telling Him how much you are in love with Him? Let me just say, I am more in love with my Jesus today that I ever have been! He is so amazing! Thank You Jesus for loving me!

The scales have been removed...

2011-04-12T23:47:00.003-04:00

Wow! So much has happened in the past couple of months. I have changed, my kids have done some pretty amazing things, and I am married to the most amazing husband ever! It is late, and I am tired, but there will be more to come in the future. Hang tight and check back soon because you won't want to miss any of it! All I am going to say is that the scales have been removed and I am seeing things in a new light. The only way to describe it is.... WOW! Thank You Jesus for loving me and not leaving me where I was. For being jealous and wanting to spend time with me. I am so in love with You!

My Daughter!

2011-01-22T13:38:00.005-05:00

I am such a blessed woman. God has blessed me with a daughter that is more than I could have ever hoped for. She is so talented. In January she has had two competitions for trampoline and tumbling and she has done a great job. The first one was in Kentucky. She was excited that we had to travel and spend the night in a hotel and that her Grandma was coming with us. What should have been a 3 hour trip ended up being over 5 hours because it decided to snow really heavy when we left. So, the hotel stay was not what she wanted, but turned a great day on Saturday during her competition. She earned a 3rd place on the trampoline and floor and a 1st place on the double mini. This is her posing to take a picture for her Daddy who did not make the trip with us.

Today, she had her second competition and more family was able to make it because it was here in Columbus. She was really nervous, but did a good job. She earned a 3rd place on trampoline and double mini and a 1st place on the floor! It is so exciting to watch her compete. I think as her Mom I am just as nervous as she is. I felt like I was going to compete. It is so cool to see where she has come from in such a short amount of time. She started going to the gym in March of 2010, and not even a year later has had three competitions and two 1st places! What is even more amazing to me is how she learning to God the glory each and every time. I am one proud Momma, and I love watching her grow!

Early Christmas!

2010-12-15T23:04:00.001-05:00

Today I had some time and I got me an early christmas present. I am so excited about it too. It is a new cell phone, the Droid 2. I needed a new calendar because my Palm pilot is wearing out and I really did not want to go back to a paper calendar. I have been playing with my new toy for a few hours and now realize that it is going to take me a while to figure it out, but I am having lots of fun with it!

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New Friends

2010-12-12T00:33:00.004-05:00

It is not always easy making new friends. I am an extrovert, and have lots of friends, but mostly I keep people at arms length. I don't like to get real personal with people. I am learning that there are only a couple of people who "really know me". Anyway, a couple of months ago a new pastor at our church introduced us to a man and his son. Instantly my husband and him seemed to hit it off. Shortly after that we met his wife and daughter. In just a short time our lives have changed and it is a blessing to watch. My oldest son is very interested in our new friends, and references them often. See, the man we met is deaf, and therefore makes it a challenge for us to communicate with him. However, God is moving our family in ways that I could have never imagined. We have begun to learn sign language, and I must say, I am impatient. I am enjoying getting to know this family, and I really wish that I could sign. His wife is hearing, which makes it a little easier, but it frustrates me when I am not able to talk with him. Anyway, it is really neat watching this relationship develop and watch as God moves in our family. All 3 of our kids are enjoying learning sign language, and one day, we will be able to carry on a conversation with this new friend of ours. So, to my new friends, what a blessing you are to us in so many different ways that I can't even put them into words. I look forward to getting to know you all more and learning more signs too! Thank you for being patient with us as we learn :)

Super Hero Powers

2010-12-09T23:45:00.005-05:00

My 3 year old is priceless. Lately we have been watching Curious George in my bed before we start they day. This morning he says to me "Mom, I am thirsty". I say "can you wait a few minutes until the show is over?" He says, "no Mom, I need water so I can have more super hero powers and it can't wait!" I must say that all of this conversation happened over a commercial, and right when I was getting up to get him some water, because he has to have his super hero powers, Curious George came back on and he no longer needed his water. What a blessing he is! I never thought of water giving us super hero powers, but I have a friend who has been encouraging me to drink more water. All I can say is that if I would have known that I would have special powers from drinking water, I would have been drinking more of it! It also got me thinking about the Living Water that we need. I am thankful that I have that to drink and to quench my thirst, because I do not know how I would survive with out my Jesus!

First times...

2010-12-06T00:15:00.004-05:00

It is easy to forget what it was like when really started to understand what Christmas was exactly. When your parents would bring out the tree and start to decorate it, how exciting that was just because you knew that it something exciting was going to come. Then, when it was all done, we would turn the lights off and just look at our masterpiece twinkling and sparkling, and giggle with excitement. As the days went on and the end of the month would get closer, I would begin to get even more excited, just wondering what exactly I would be getting under the tree on Christmas morning. Finally, it was Christmas eve! We would get through the day, then go to church, and then it really hit..... Santa was coming!!!!! Christmas eve night always seemed like such a long night to me. The excitement and anticipation would be more than I could handle sometimes. I am sure over the next month I will share more stories with you, but tonight it is all about my kids. Mostly about my youngest, little E. He is 3 and he is so excited about Christmas he is about to bust. Today after church we were walking through Walmart and "Santa" was walking down the isle. Little E just got so excited that he ran up to him and gave him a big hug. This is huge for him because he does not just go up to anyone, but for some reason, this year, he is really into Santa. Later we saw him in the back of the store and he sat on his lap and just smiled. It was precious! All little E wants for Christmas is a new choo choo (he is very into Thomas the train) and that is all he is talking about too. Little E keeps adding to his story about what is going to happen during this Christmas season, and I am loving his story each and every time too. He gets so excited ever time we talk about it, or watch a movie about it. He is starting to get that he will get presents on Christmas morning and I think I am more excited to see his face than anything. He was telling me today that he is not really going to go to sleep, but fake it so he can get up right away and get his presents. I don't know how this year is going to play out completely yet, but I do know this much, it has been such a blessing to watch him discover this holiday. It has also been neat to listen to my older two explain what is going to happen, and tell him that Jesus is really the reason for Christmas and how all of it makes Christmas special!

blah...

2010-12-04T02:53:00.003-05:00

This week has just been blah. It is now 3am and I am wide awake! So, here I am on my computer thinking of something to write and wishing I could get to sleep. Tonight was a great night to end this week with. I was blessed to be able to have dinner with my Mom and finish up my Christmas shopping. Well, I still have some dollar things to put in the stockings, but other than that I think I am finally done! While I was out, my hubby and kids put up our tree. It looks so good! I think I am finally getting excited about Christmas.... finally! My goal now is to have everything wrapped by the weekend before Christmas so that I can sit back and enjoy every day of the holiday season, and celebrate the real meaning of Christmas... JESUS!!!!

Friends :)

2010-11-12T13:13:00.003-05:00

I am so thankful that the Lord gave us friends. They are always there when you need them, and when you think you don't need them. The older I get, the more I am learning about myself. One of the things I am learning is that when things get really difficult for me, or there is something going on in my life that is really tough for me I shut myself off from everyone. I don't get depressed, but I don't really share anything with anyone and try to "work it out" on my own. Well, that is not working anymore and the Lord is using my friends to show me this. He is revealing things to my friends and they are asking me about them and they don't even know it. I can say this much, I am so very thankful for each and every one of you! You are so very precious to me. "Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 To you, my dear friends, thank you for refreshing my soul and helping me get back on track. For showing me that you can be trusted and that you love me. I LOVE YOU TOO!!!!!

Pumpkin Seeds :)

2010-11-05T14:01:00.002-04:00

I love pumpkin seeds. I love getting big pumpkins, scooping out the slimy seeds, washing them off and baking them. Most of all, I love eating them! This year the kids helped me with all of it. Little E loved getting his hands wet and playing with the slimy seeds in the water. He had water everywhere and was really upset when we were done. J and T loved scooping them out of the pumpkin. I tried a different way of baking them this year and I think I found a new way. I dried all the seeds before I baked them. Then covered them with some butter and salt and then baked them until they were golden brown. Yummy! These were the best seeds I have made in a long time. I have 2 more pumpkins to cut into and I can't wait. They are a special pumpkin that is not supposed to have the shell of the seed on them, just the seeds. They are used in making oils, but are really good to eat the seeds too. I cannot wait to try them. I am also going to attempt to make my first pumpkin pie completely from scratch. I have a couple of pumpkins that are good for baking, so I am hoping to get to that here in the next few days. I love this time of year and can't wait to try my new pumpkins!

Competitions

2010-10-30T16:20:00.007-04:00

As a kid I participated in several different competitions between band and 4-H. Each one was different depending on if it was individual, as a team, or on a horse. I am sure I was nervous, but honestly that is not what I remember now as an adult. I remember being confident in what I was doing and doing the best I could do. I remember my parents were always there cheering me on, and supporting me whether I did good or not so good. They are great memories. Now, I am a Mom and it is completely different being the one in the stands watching my child competing in something. I am learning things about myself that I did not realize. Just one more area for the Lord to teach me about and show me how to handle my thoughts, words and actions.

Okay, now for the reason this all has come up. Saturday was my daughters first trampoline and tumbling competition. She did great! She was so nervous, but went out there and did her best. Honestly, I think her performance was the best I have seen her do so far! First she did the rod floor. This is where she does two passes, a front roll pass and a back roll pass. Out of 9 girls, she got 3rd place!

Second she did the double mini. This is a small trampoline where she runs up to it and jumps on it 3 times before she lands on the floor. She has two passes where she does tucks on one pass and straddles on the other one. Out of 10 girls, she got 2nd place!

The last event was on the trampoline, where she has a routine that she performs. It is hard to explain, but out of 9 girls, she got 3rd place! I am just so proud of her. She looked so cute in her outfit, and just lit up when she got her trophy. Her next competition is in December and I can't wait for it! Watching her compete and do such a great job makes it so easier for me to go and work hard selling food at a Blue Jackets game to earn money for her fees. Princess, I love you and keep up the good work!

Struggles

2010-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

For many years now I have struggled with my weight. It started when I began infertility treatments and has been a never ending battle since then. It is not something I am proud of, nor something I want to pass onto my children. More and more the Lord is showing me that the kids are eating what I am eating, and that is not good. I do not want them to be overweight or learn bad habits from me. So, He showed me a bible study that is geared to changing the way I think about food and helping me to focus more on Him. In the past 2 months, I have started over twice because I have just not been focused or really wanted to. Well, it is time for the change to happen. I need to do it because He told me to do it. There is no longer an option. He has given me what I need and now if I don't do it I will be in disobedience. Well, I don't want to be there so tomorrow I am starting over again on day 1. I am going to be dedicated and not beat myself up if I have struggles. I am going to do the best I possibly can and completely rely and turn it all over the Christ, because I can do all things because Christ is my strength. I am sharing this on here because I need to be more transparent and open in my life. I know I am not alone in my struggles with the sin of gluttony. I want my life and testimony to be an encouragement and maybe even a motivation to someone. I will post my journey with on here, the goods, the bads and the uglies. In doing this, as the Lord leads you, I ask that you would pray for me. This is not an easy thing to do, but with His strength, I can do it! Thank You Lord for such great friends to help me through this journey. Thank You Lord for loving me so much that You won't leave me where I am at. I want to be a living testimony to You and I WILL give You ALL the praise and glory!

Growing up

2010-10-27T14:17:00.003-04:00

My daughter is getting so big. She is on a trampoline and tumbling team and her first competition is this Saturday. She does not really understand what is going to go on, but I do. I am so excited for her. She has been practicing since March and has improved so much. Her leotard has not come in yet, so we are borrowing one from one of her team mates that has one they out grew. She tried it on today and she looks so cute and grown up all at the same time. I cannot wait to take pictures of her on Saturday so I can post them for you to see. I am so proud of her! I love you my dear, sweet baby girl. Don't grow up too fast for mommy!

following...

2010-10-26T13:56:00.004-04:00

Well, so many thoughts.... where to start? I have to say that God is so amazing! I have been praying for a schedule and a routine for a while now. I did not realize how much I needed one. Well, one day I was sitting here, frustrated and He began to show me how my day should be going and how to plan it out. I got a piece of paper and began writing it down. He totally gave me a routine for my day, from the time I need to get up to the time to go to bed. When to teach school, when to do work around the house, when to play with the kids, all of it. It is so cool! Now, I just need to kick my butt in gear and follow it. What He is showing me now is that I have no more excuses. He has given me what I need, now I need to follow it. So, I am making no promises, but I am asking for His strength and desire to follow it. I am not beating myself up when I don't follow it, but those days are not the best days for us, so I really want to follow it. I figure He is the One who gave it to me, so He is the only One who can help me follow it! Thank You Lord for loving me so much!

Prayers please!

2010-08-08T23:14:00.002-04:00

I have so many thoughts running through my head right now that I don't even know how to start this. I hate how the enemy can just slip in and take what was a great day and totally change things around. My heart is very heavy tonight and I am fighting fear, but I know that greater is He that is with me than he that is in the world. I had a great day with my family today, which I will share with you in another post. Right now I must confess that as the night came to a close we dropped of a very dear little friend of ours. There was a comment made by someone at their door and I have been having a very hard time dealing with it. I know this is not easy to follow, but for right now I am not able to share all of the details. I guess, right now, I am asking for prayer from you. I need you to step up for me and pray as the Lord leads you for the next 3 days. My husband and I are going to be talking with this family on Wednesday evening and I am just having a very hard time with it. I am battling fear and trying not to let it win, but I must say that I am not doing very good with it. This is something that is very near and dear to my heart. I am trying with everything in me to hold onto promises that the Lord gave to me a couple years ago, but I am struggling. I am trying to turn my thoughts and emotions over each and every time they overwhelm me. Please, if you will, pray for me. I would greatly appreciate it, more than you know!

Kids :)

2010-08-07T14:56:00.002-04:00

We had my nephew and a little girl spend the night last night. So we had 5 kids in our home last night and it was full of excitement! We went on a hike at a park and made some smores there too. We figured we would load them up with load them up with sugar then take a 2 mile hike to burn it off. It worked too! Came home, showered them down, got in their pajamas and watched a movie. They were nice and tired for bed so no rough playing while they were in their rooms. Today has been another adventure! It has been very interesting watching them all play today. We had some inside play time and some outside play time in the pool. My nephew and our little girl friend are both "only" children, so they don't always know how to play with other kids, if that makes sense. The really interesting part is the little girl lives with her "Grandparents" who are 87 & 91. It is fun watching her transform into a little girl. Today they broke out in dance as we finished a movie. Now they are pretending to be zoo animals and are crawling around on the floor making very unusual sounds as they are trying to escape from the zoo. Time with kids seems to go so very fast, so it has been such a precious time watching and enjoying these children play together in my house. I can't wait for the next time!

Keep finding more...

2010-08-05T10:05:00.003-04:00

Well, this morning I need to vent a little bit. I need to release this frustruation somewhere so today, it is going here. There are times that you get work done on your house and things go so easy that you are thrilled. This is not one of those stories. About 3 or 4 months ago a storm came through here with some heavy hail. We were one of the fortunate ones to have damage to our house, our siding to be more specific. So it begins, we call the insurance company and they come out to estimate the damage and quote us a price. We got more than we thought but not as much as we needed to replace the siding on the entire house. So we hired a contractor to do the work, signed the contract and then waited for it to begin. And we waited, and we waited. Finally, about 3 weeks ago, they came! They brought the siding out to our back yard on a tuesday and we were told that they guys were going to start on the house the very next day. They did too! However, there were only 2 guys working on our house. So, by friday, they had only finished one side of the house and began working on another side, but were not going to be completed by the end of the day. Week 1 done. Monday morning came and they came back, and worked hard every day that week. By friday they were done with 3 sides of the house. Week 2 done. Monday morning came again, and they came to the house to begin working on the back of the house... finally! After they tore all the siding off, they realized that they did not have enough siding to finish the job. They finished what they could and left. Oh, I should say, they did not leave this night until almost 9pm. Tuesday, no workers. Wednesday, no workers. Thursday we were finally told that they had to order more siding and it would be there Friday morning. Oh, after we called the contractor to get on him that it was taking WAY TOO LONG! So, Friday morning came, and workers came and began to finish the back of the house. I would like to tell you that they got it done, but I cannot. Week 3 done. Now, we enter week 4 and monday the come and actually finish the job. Well, the siding that is. The gutters should be here by friday, we were told. Yes, thats right, they still are not done. Now here is the exciting part. We have been keeping the kids inside for this entire time because they are in the back yard and they cannot play because of all of the equipment and nails, which are still there! Also, we have been working on the inside of our house, painting walls, fixing up things, putting in a back splash in the kitchen. Now, we get to go around and fix all the damage that was caused by them banging on our siding so hard that it knocked dry wall nails out of the dry wall. Yes, it is true, I now get to put the nails back into the walls, patch them up and re-paint all of them. Some of the walls will just need touched up because I just painted them. One of the walls was still in good shape from when I painted it a couple years ago so I was not going to paint this wall. The catch is, now that a nail has come through it, I have to fix it and I don't have that same color of paint anymore, so I get to repaint the entire room. Oh, this is my bedroom too, so not looking forward to that at all. I guess it just seems like every time I enter into a room I find more damage that I have to fix from the workers. Lastnight, I went down into my basement to discover a huge leake somewhere. I think it was from the dishwasher, but am wondering if they knocked something loose? All I know is that I am very frustruated with this job and very much ready for them to go away and never see them again. Thanks for listening to my story. I feel better just getting it out there even though there is still much to do in my house!

Psalm 37:4-7a

2010-05-21T23:19:00.003-04:00

"Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and our judgement as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him." This is where I am at right now and I wanted to share the verses that is ministering to me. Psalm 37:4 is a verse I have held on to for about 8 years. It is a promise that the Lord gave to me and He has been fulfilling it in various ways for the past 6 years. He is not finished yet, and it is overwhelming and amazing all in one breath. I don't want to make any moves or decisions with out hearing from Him first, so I am resting patiently for Him!

Random thoughts...

2010-05-17T22:06:00.002-04:00

I have several things running through my mind tonight as I sit here thinking about what to write. I have been praying that the Lord would give me dreams for some time now. Not silly ones, but ones that mean something to someone, or to me. Well, last night He gave me one! Although, I am not able to share the details, I can say that not only did He give me the dream, He gave me the meaning of it too! I don't completely understand it, but I am excited none the less and can't wait to see the final results. Mostly, I am just excited to have just one more way that the Lord speaks to me. I don't know about you, but sometimes I question if I really do hear from the Lord or if He even speaks to me. I know He does, but sometimes I listen to the enemy too much and then begin to believe the lies that he plants in my head that I don't hear Him and He is not speaking to me. Anyway, I want to encourage anyone who is reading this to keep on pressing in and hang in there. He is listening to you even if you don't "feel" like He is. He loves you and you are His favorite!

Kids...

2010-05-06T17:05:00.002-04:00

Kids are so precious. Sometimes you forget just how much they have changed, or grown up. Today I had the privilege of braiding a new friends daughters hair. She did a great job for a 5 year old. It reminded me of when we first got Joyona and how hard it was to get her hair done. All of the emotions we had in the beginning are now just grunts and groans. Joyona has come such a long way and is turning into such a beautiful young woman so fast. She is also starting to really get "into" boys, so we have begun talking about what that means. So not ready for that yet!!!

Tra, well his stitches are out and he is back into being a high speed little boy! We still keep a band aid on it because it is still healing, but he is thrilled to be able to play again and take a bath. He did not like taking showers at all!

Elijah, well he really wants to pee in the potty. His head does anyway. His favorite movie to watch right now other than Thomas the train is Elmo's potty training video. He loves the idea of pulling up and down his pull up, however the rest of his body has not gotten in sink yet. They are all so precious and they are growing up so fast. I thought I would share a brief update on what is going on here in our house right now

Birthdays!

2010-04-28T23:40:00.006-04:00

January not only starts the new year, but it also starts the beginning of birthdays for our family. Our daughters birthday is January 27th and she turned 8 this year. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that she is my big girl now and not my little girl anymore. She wants to wear her hair differently and wear more grown up clothes. She really wants to wear a bra, but I am not ready to go there. Next she will be asking me to shave her legs.... anyway, she is growing up so fast on me and she is turning into a beautiful young lady! February brings our next birthday, our youngest son turned 3 on February 14th. He is our valentines baby and boy does he know how to love his mommy! I love the way he says "mommy, love you" sometimes just for no reason. He is growing up really fast and each day it seems like he has new words that he is using that I did not hear the day before. He has definitely lost his "baby" look and is definitely into the toddler look. We get March off, and then comes April. My oldest son turned 6 on April 26th, and boy is he growing up so fast too! He learned to ride a 2 wheeler right before his birthday so we bought him a new bike. Unfortunately he has not been able to try it out because of his stitches, but he looks at it almost every day and can't wait to try it out next week. He is changing so much too as he now has lost all of that "little boy" look and now looks so much older to me. I feel so blessed to be called their mom, and humbled that the Lord would allow me to be their mother! I love you Joyona, Elijah and Tra!

Silly ;)

2010-04-22T22:48:00.003-04:00

So many times times we share things we need help with, or we share personal things that we just need to get off of our chest. Sometimes we take some time to share something very personal about our self that only the closest of friends know about us. Well, this is not one of those times. Actually, this time, I am going to share something very silly about myself. Sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves, and I laugh at myself daily! Tonight I was eating a late night snack of chex mix and realized that no matter what I am eating, I eat things in a certain way. For instance, I eat chex mix one thing at a time. I eat the pretzels, then I eat the bread sticks, and then I eat the chex cereal. I do not like the bagel chips so I throw them out. I eat every plate of food in a certain order and I don't like my food to touch each other. Mixed veggies and a salad are just about the only exception, unless it comes "made that way". I always eat my french fries before I eat the sandwich or pizza. I cannot eat fries and take a bite of other food, yuck! Oh, and I separate the colors of the M&M's and eat one color at a time, unless I am driving and can't separate them. Anyway, just a silly post about something that is very corky about me that I thought I would share. Feel free to share anything about you that is fun. I would love to hear it :)

A new adventure!

2010-04-21T13:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took my daughter to her trampoline and tumbling class and about 15 minutes into the class my darling husband called me. He informed me that Tra, our oldest son, cut himself with a pair of scissors on his knee and is not sure if it needs stitches. So, he had our neighbor look at it and she thought we should take him to the emergency room. So, Tim packed up our boys and headed over to the gym where I met them and took Tra to the emergency room. We checked in at 7pm and finally got to a room to be worked on at 9pm. Lets just say that Tra was great in the beginning. First a nurse walks in with a bag of goodies to help "entertain" him. Then in walks in the tech who is going to performing the cleaning and stitches, if he needs them. Well, they soon found out that he is pretty strong so they stopped and got reinforcements. We had to change rooms so that there could be people all around the table to help keep him secured. So, we entered our new room, and got Tra settled down, again. Then in walks one more nurse and the tech, with the plate of equipment needed to clean his wound and then stitch it up. Well, Tra was good until he saw the needle and he was so strong and fast that he pulled out the top of the needle where the medicine goes and the liquid went all over him, me and the table. Out went the tech and the extra nurse, so now it was just me, Tra and the entertainment nurse. We got him calmed down again and we got him to lay down and relax for a minute. Next, the door opened and in walks the tech and two more nurses. Now, we are ready for battle! The entertainment nurse and I were on the upper body and the other two nurses had one leg each. The tech worked fast, I was impressed. Tra, well lets just say that he did not like anyone in that room and was THRILLED when it was over! He did like the stitches when he was able to see them, and was even more excited that he got his first, very own bandage to wrap around the stitches. Because it is on his knee, he is not allowed to really bend his knee and definitely not allowed to do any rough playing or crawling on his knees. Thankfully, this should only last for 2 weeks, but for me it is going to be a long two weeks. Today Tra is doing good, but is in some pain. So, we went to the library and have some movies to watch and some Motrin to take for the pain. I can say that he does not want to play with scissors any more. Oh yeah, I guess I never did say how our trip began. Tra decided that he did not want any of the strings on the hole that was in the knee of his jeans, so he took a pair of scissors and tried to cut the strings off, like a knife. He removed the strings and got a one inch deep cut in his knee! These were child scissors for school, so today, all of the scissors are put up where not one child in my home knows where they are, and that includes the really big child ;). No more trips to the ER this week for me!

Hmmmm....

2010-04-18T17:27:00.003-04:00

I would like to say that I am a dedicated blogger, but as you can see, I am not. There are so many things I want to say, but can never seem to find the time to put them down into words. In the past few months so many things have happened to me and my family that I am going to try my very best to share them with you. Honestly, the reason I have not put much down here is because I have been trying not to be too personal in my blog, but that just is not working for me anymore. Starting now I am going to be sharing all of my heart with you. I have realized that I am very guarded with my thoughts and sometimes the Lord wants me to share them. Here is a brief summary of what has happened and what is to come, along with anything new that comes along. My daughter turned 8, my youngest son turned 3, Belize, Midwest home school conference, and more I am sure that I can't remember. So, if you are interested in hearing more about my heart keep checking back! It should be pretty interesting stuff :)

Kids...

2010-02-09T10:10:00.004-05:00

There is nothing really more to say. They are wonderful, and frustrating all in the same breath. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kids!!!!! They can get my blood boiling sometimes. Here is my latest issue. I have 3 kids, 8, 5, and 3 year old (well he will be 3 on Sunday). The older two play together nicely, then in comes the 3 year old and boom, instant screaming and fighting! I am so tired of it and I just don't know what else to do about it anymore. I have tried so many different things that I don't know what else to try anymore. So, I am reaching out for some help or words of wisdom from anyone who reads this! The only thing is got is "this too shall pass"!

Belize!

2010-02-08T13:40:00.002-05:00

I have the opportunity to go on a mission trip next month to Belize and I am so excited. There will be 13 of us going from March 10th to the 18th and it can't get here fast enough. We have the opportunity to equip and pray for the pastors there and local tribes around the facility we will be staying at. I was a little excited before my meeting, but now I can't even put it into words. It is coming so quickly and God is blessing me in so many ways. I am looking forward to sharing what the Lord is doing in my life through this experience. This is my first time out of the country and on a missions trip, and I think each day I am getting more excited about going. I am just honored that God would choose me to go and to use me in during this time to minister to His people there. Can't wait!!!!!

Faith Like Potatoes

2010-02-06T10:28:00.003-05:00

It is a movie my husband and I watched last night after the kids went to bed. We have owned it since before Christmas and have never watched it until last night. It is a great movie! I am not going to tell you anything about it, but you should get it and watch it for yourself. It really challenged me and had me question where is my faith? It is in the Lord, but not like I want it to be that is for sure. I want to live my life with such faith that I am shocked if the Lord does not show up and move in mighty ways. I think sometimes the longer I have been a christian the more I forget. It is simple really, just take the time to spend with the Lord everyday, read His word and talk to Him like he is right beside you all the time and then let Him be in control of everything. I want to get back to that "child like faith" where everything is new and exciting and I am learning all the time. Like when my youngest saw the Christmas tree lights turn on, it was new and he was amazed! That is how I want my life to be. Each moment of my day to be fully dedicated to the Lord and watch in amazement as He moves in and through me. I want to have faith like potatoes!

So Fast...

2010-02-05T12:17:00.005-05:00

Kids grow up so fast. One day they want to sit on your lap and cuddle, the next they want nothing to do with you. Well, not to that extreme, but something like that. My older two kids are in an art class on Friday mornings and they are becoming so independent. This morning they wanted me to just drop them off, because they are "old enough" to go in by them selves now that they are 8 and 5. I could watch them, but still, I guess I am not ready for them to do things on their own yet. I guess it is time for me to let go some and let them start doing more things on their own, like going into art class with out me walking them in. I guess I am still glad to have my youngest, who still wants to hold my hand when he gets out of the van, because he does not like being too far from me. I wish I would have cherished those memories more instead of just letting them go by. I am trying to stop more and just watch them as they are growing, because before I know it they are going to be out on their own. I am just so thankful that the Lord allowed me to have this time with them and to be their mom. What a blessing they are!

Fighting!

2010-02-04T11:59:00.006-05:00

Today I am taking back what the enemy has stolen from me. He is fighting me with a cold and the Lord clearly revealed it to me. By His stripes I was completely healed Tuesday night after prayer from a friend, only to wake up to the same congestion and aches on Wednesday morning. The enemy is not letting go, but I am done bowing down to this sickness. Today, I am crushing him and no longer going to sit and watch him steal life from me or my family. It is past time for him to leave, and today I, through Jesus Christ, am kicking his sneaky little butt right out of our house and out of our bodies. No more asthma symptoms, no more congestion, no more coughing and no more infection because we have had enough! The enemy is no longer going to steal His Glory! Jesus has paid the price for me and my family, and we are no longer going to live like paupers. We are children of the Most High King, and we are going to begin to live like the royalty that we are! Thank you Jesus for paying the price for me to live free today, even though I did not deserve it, you died for me. You are the King of King and the Lord of Lords, and I will worship you with all that I am, and give You all the glory! Thank you for healing us Jesus!

My Focus?

2010-02-03T11:29:00.004-05:00

This new year has been a strange year so far for me. My focus seems to be changing, and I am having a hard time keeping focused on any one task. Lets recap January... my youngest son had a double ear infection for over 3 weeks, with two different medications, and still has some congestion trying to escape his body. My oldest son has been healed of his asthma, but got a cold two weeks ago that gave him asthma symptoms and now has a cough that will not go away. My husband had an infection in root under a tooth in his mouth from an old root canal he had done over 15 years ago. He went to a specialist, got the infection cleared out and has to go back next week to get the cap replaced on the tooth. I have been dealing with a cough and congestion for over a month now and am on my second round of medications to clear it out. My daughter, praise the Lord, has not been touched by any sickness! Last week I found out that my 46 year old cousin died unexpectedly, and we are not sure why. Now, I share all of this, not for any pity, but to say that since the new year has started, my focus has definitely been on me, my family, and all of our "issues". I have noticed that in my life when I keep my focus on myself I tend to get hurt more and I take things way more personally than I should. This month I have felt used, abused, abandoned, hurt, left out, and stretched beyond what I wanted. But, I have also felt loved, cared for, missed and very blessed by my husband and friends. I know, how can I have all of those things? Well it is easy. This week started a new month, and with it came a thumping from the Holy Spirit. He showed me where my focus has been, and even though I have not been focused on the things I should have, He has still blessed me and taken care of me. I can truly say that January 2010, I can only see one set of footprints in the sand, and they are not mine! I want my focus to be only on Jesus! I want to live my life glorifying Him, and praising Him in all I do. I want people to see only Him in me when they look at me and talk to me. No more Tammie, only Jesus! Thank you Jesus for loving me even when I don't deserve it. Thank you Jesus for giving up your life so that I may live. Thank you for healing me when I doubted, and for meeting with me just because I asked. Jesus, I love you, and I give you all that I am. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" Psalm 150:6

December

2010-01-04T10:07:00.002-05:00

It has been a hard December for me. There has been some things going on that have been stretching me beyond what I thought I could handle. I am thankful that God does not leave me nor forsake me and that He does not give me more than I can handle, but it has still been tough. I was watching the movie "One night with the king" and something struck me this time. The lady playing Ester said "perhaps instead of asking questions of our trials, our trials are meant to ask questions of ourselves?" I know that this has really changed the way I have thought about my trials this past month. I have let the Lord begin to search my heart and I want nothing more than to grow through all of this. He has showed me so many things this past week that I am still trying to process them. I know that this too shall pass, but I am now to a point where I am thankful for my trials this last month because it is making me a stronger person and I am becoming more dependent on the Lord, and not myself. I am beginning to trust Him more and go to Him with everything both good and bad. He wants to hear it all, and that is something I am not used to doing. So, I am excited to see where He is going to take me this new year!

Choo Choo...

2009-12-15T11:44:00.005-05:00

Our youngest son Elijah is totally into Thomas the train. This past Saturday our family, my parents, sister and nephew all went on a train ride. It was the first time I had ever been on a train, and the kids were so excited. The look on all of their faces when the train pulled up was priceless, but the look on Elijah's face, well it was just precious. He could not believe that a train was coming and he was going to get on it. The entire trip he kept saying "choo choo" and was loving being on it. The train traveled about 1/2 hour and then stopped at "Santa land". The kids all got their pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Clause and then we got back on the train to head home. We had hot chocolate, cookies, and there were elves doing some tricks during the journey. Here are a few pictures I wanted to share with you. We had such a great time. Oh, everyday we get up, Elijah asks if we can go on the choo choo again! It was so worth it, and he is going to get a "Thomas" kind of Christmas too. I am excited for all the gifts we are giving, and for all my kids, but I think I am really excited for him. It just seems to kind of all go together this year. Maybe it is just because he is only 2 and is really getting it this year. I don't know, but I do know that I can't wait for next week!

What are you waiting for?

2009-12-14T02:50:00.006-05:00

This morning in church our pastor was talking about "a gift worth waiting for." What a great question. There are so many things that I am waiting on, just like every other person on this planet. As a mother, I am finding that my time is sometimes consumed with things I am waiting for, especially when it comes to my children. I have not been sick these past several days, and I have been sleeping every opportunity I get. Well, it has caught up with me and I am now wide awake with my thoughts so please bear with me.

This morning when my pastor asked us what it was we were waiting for, my thoughts immediately went to a situation that has been going on in my life for 19 months. He asked us to "slow down and affirm that God is in control. Immerse myself in His presence and to trust in His plan." That is the summed up version, but it really hit home with me. I sometimes get so into this situation, that I try to take it into my own hands, and not let God stay in control. During these past 19 months, have I immersed myself in His presence so I don't miss out on His blessings during this trial? Not completely, but I have tried. Do I really trust in His plan? Do I really know His plan for this situation? I am not asking for answers, just saying what has been on my mind these past several hours.

I want to live my life so that every day, no matter what I am waiting for, I am worshiping God through my words and actions. My thoughts too! I want be bold in my faith, and walk in obedience to what He has told me. I know that I have missed the mark in many areas during this time, but I also know that He has great plans for me this week. I am so excited to see the hand of God move in me and through me that I am not sure how I am going to make it. I know this is probably not even making sense, as I am not able to share all of the details yet, but know that what ever you are waiting for, the Lord is right there with you. His timing is perfect, and it is just that, His timing. I know, sometimes we get so focused on the end result and what is going on, or not going on, that we loose our focus. I know I have during these long 19 months, but I also know that I am a better person for it too because I recognize my short comings and I have repented for them. No more am I going to dwell on the areas that I have failed, or the opportunities I have missed. I am pressing in to Him, and with His strength I am going to move forward and be prepared for the situations that lay before me. I will enter these situations with confidence in Jesus because with Him nothing is impossible!

I want to leave you with the words to a song. I have tried to post it, but not having any success. "I'm waiting... I'm waiting on you Lord. I am hopeful... I'm waiting on you Lord. Though it is painful... patiently, I will wait. I will move ahead bold and confident, taking every step in obedience... while I'm waiting." John Waller

A prayer!

2009-11-24T11:40:00.002-05:00

The past several months my heart has been heavy. I have been searching for something and not even sure how to explain it to you. I am so thankful I have a God who sees and knows what I am in need of and meets with me just because He wants to. I know I have experienced the Love of God, and that He lives in me like He has never before. The past few days I have been praying this prayer, I have made it mine, and I would like to share it with you. When you read it, put your name in and claim it as yours too. Every time I read it, I get something new out of it, and I pray that He will move in you as you make it your own today.

Ephesians 3:14-21

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant (me), according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in (my) heart through faith; that (I), being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and lenght and depth and height, to know the love of christ which passes knowledge; that (I) may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that (I) ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

What does it mean?

2009-11-20T10:04:00.003-05:00

I have been in a place lately that I don't want to be in anymore. I have also realized that the only way to get out of it is to get up and change. So, I am. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! A few years ago I went to a conference with my mom to see Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Grahams daughter). That conference changed my thinking on how to study the Bible. I have been wanting to get back into the word, but not have everyone's opinion or interpretation on the passage of scripture that I am studying. Now, don't get me wrong, they are very helpful and I like them, but at this point I am wanting to just dig into the Word and study it for me. I want the Holy Spirit to be my teacher and show me what He wants me to know and teach me the lessons that He wants to teach me. I have been very blessed by the devotionals I have been reading, and will keep them to encourage me in those times that I need extra encouragement, or am running short on time. So, for any of you that are interested in studying the word just as it is and what it means to you here is a site you can go and Anne will teach you how to do it. It is really easy and I love it!

http://www.annegrahamlotz.com/resources/topic/learning-hear-his-voice/

Lesson learned!

2009-11-19T11:14:00.005-05:00

My five year old son is growing up so fast, that sometimes I don't realize that he is more aware of what is going on than I realize. Sunday he said to me that he was in love with a little girl in his church class. So I asked him what that meant to be in love with her, and he said "well she smiled at me and it made me feel good so I smiled back at her." Anyway, we talked about what it meant to be in love and how he had plenty of time, but it was good that he smiled back at her and to be nice to her. So, I saw her mom last night at church and shared this story with her. Her mom thought it was so cute too. Well, Tra was not happy with me. He asked me why I shared that with her, so I told him that I thought it was such a great story that I wanted to share it with her mommy. That did not matter, I had already broken his heart. So, I got down on my knees and asked him to forgive me, and he did. Anyway, I think it broke my heart more than it broke his because I realized several things. First, that he is growing up and this was really important to him. Second, that I broke his trust in him, and I never want to do that again. Three, the next time I have a great story to share about one of my kids I need to make sure it is a story I can share. Anyway, I learned many lessons last night, but the best part is, Tra is not upset with me and because he is a 5 year old boy, he moved on pretty quickly. Today he is back in love with his Mom and I that makes it all worth it!

Why do I...

2009-11-12T11:35:00.003-05:00

Take things on that I don't need to take on? Matthew 11:28-30 says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." If I take His yoke then I am giving Him my yoke, so then I should have the easier load right? Then why is it that I have such a hard time taking His yoke? I think it is because I don't take the time to give it to Him. That I am too focused on what is going on to even realize that I am taking over and not letting Jesus take it on, like He wants to. Anyway, this is something that I was thinking about this morning and wanted to share my thoughts. I know this much, I need His rest, and I want to carry His yoke, because I need a lighter one to carry. Lord, I pray that you continue to show me when I am not turning my yoke over to You and picking up Yours instead. Father, I thank You for revealing this to me and for showing me how to turn it over to You. Lord, I pray that you continue to give me Your strength and desires, and I will continue to give You all the Praise!

Thankful!

2009-11-11T09:15:00.003-05:00

There have been many people talking lately about the things they are thankful for. Since it is getting close to Thanksgiving I guess it is a reminder of all the things we are thankful for. My neighbor had cataracts surgery and neither of her boys or their wives were able to help her out, so we picked her up after her surgery yesterday and took her to her follow up appointment this morning. I am telling you this because it is the same building that I had surgery on my foot about 20 years ago. I remember being so nervous and comforted because my Mom was there with me. It just got me to thinking that I am so thankful for my family. My parents and sister has been there for me while I was growing up, and are still here if and when I need them. Now I have my husband and my children who will be here to help me when I need them. I am thankful to have a husband who is supportive and encouraging. He is such a blessing and I am so thankful for him. Anyway, today is a day that I wanted to share a little bit about what I am thankful for and maybe hear something you are thankful for as well.

Move????

2009-11-10T10:11:00.003-05:00

I was going through a stack of papers the other night trying to decide if I can just throw them away or if I need to shred them. I came across a saying on the top of one of them that has really got me to thinking. It said "I just moved you, now you move Me." I can think of many ways that God has moved me, and how He is moving in my life. I am wondering if I am moving Him and what does that really mean? The Bible says to pray "on earth as it is in Heaven" and I am realizing that I have been too caught up in my world and not trying to get Him here on earth. I want to be moved by Him, but more that that I want to move Him. I want the enemy to know that I am serious when I speak, and to take the authority back that God has given to me. I want to walk in His presence so much that God moves in others lives just because He is right there with me. Lord, thank you for this time of discovery and for showing me things in my life.

Here I go again...

2009-11-09T10:50:00.004-05:00

I have finally come to the understanding that I have way too much stuff. I can't seem to keep up with it at all. I am going to start purging yet again I think. I have been thinking about this all weekend as I have had lots of time with a sick child, but I can't even have my kids help with what I want them to because we have too much stuff for our little house. So, today is the start of a new week, and with that a new plan of attack. Not only are we going to work on our new school routine, and the kids are going to start their new duties, but I am going to go through the house room by room and start getting rid of more stuff. I am actually very excited about this because I think it is going to help with stress levels in our home. Also, I think that in order for us to have any more children in our home we will need space for them to be here, so I am preparing my fields for rain!

Getting in gear

2009-11-06T11:40:00.003-05:00

I have had a difficult time getting things in gear these past few months. Everything seem to be off, if that even makes any sense. Every time I get something going, it just falls apart, or when I think that I have figured something out it never works out like I think it is going to. So, I threw in the towel and just quit for a while, which only made things worse. I am trying to get refocused and keep a hold of the promises the Lord has given to me and will start over again. Wednesday one of our pastors said something that really made an impact on me. He said "don't try to shut off the darkness, focus on turning on the light." So, today, I am looking for ways in my life to turn on the Light and keep out of the darkness that seems to be all around me in this world.

Experience...

2009-10-05T14:06:00.004-04:00

I love going to church. I love seeing people, I love the worship, I love just being in a place where everyone comes expecting to meet with Jesus. Yesterday we had an incredible church service. The Holy Spirit came and poured out in our services. It was just so amazing. The worship was like none I have seen in our church for a long time. People were asking God for things, and He was answering them, right there on the spot. I was praying with one woman and her back pain was instantly gone. It is just so cool that God would use me! Mathew 10:7-8 says "7As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." Mathew 6:10 says "10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I want to live on earth as it is in Heaven." I have kingdom authority and I am a princess. Today, I even have a bit more faith and boldness to walk in the ways He wants me to go. My prayer for my family and friends is they experience the Lord in a way that makes them want to walk with their daddy this way too!

Finally!

2009-10-02T13:31:00.003-04:00

I love the fall. It is my second favorite season, winter being my favorite. Anyway, my birthday and my anniversary just happen to be in the fall, but that is not why I love the fall. I love the smells, the changing of the colors, the old falling off knowing the new is coming soon. Football, the cooler days and nights and the bonfires I have with friends and family. I just can't think of one thing I don't love about fall. But, I am so glad that September is over and October is a brand new month! My September has not been a good one. Lots of sickness in our house and not getting much stuff done. During this time the Lord has been showing me to just trust in him and keep my faith in Him and not on anyone else or in anything else. It has been hard, but I am hanging in and keeping my faith. As October goes on I will share more but for now I am just glad to be back here again and praising God that the sickness is out of our house!

Woman with few words!

2009-09-10T14:51:00.005-04:00

I know, hard to believe, but I just don't have anything to say this week. So, I thought I would post some pictures from our weekend. We had a blast!

Camping!

2009-09-04T15:28:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, my husband and I took our kids camping for the first time. Yes, we have been to cabins before, but this time we stayed in our tent we just got from a friend of ours who did not need it anymore. So, we loaded up both of our vehicles and were on our way. Well, not really. We did load up our vehicles, but only Tim and Joyona went up to the camp site. Me and the boys stayed because Tra had football practice and we just could not tell him we were not going to go. So we met them up after practice, which means we did not get there until 8pm. Oh well, it was fun anyway. Ate lots of food, stayed up late, did not sleep very good, got up when the sun came up... I could go on, but I won't. Anyway, we had a great time. Did not really have any troubles and I think I would go again. We drove around and found a couple of sites that we would like to go to instead of the one we had. Actually, next time we go camping we would like to go with more people because we think that would be more fun. So, if I can figure this out, I have a video of the kids to share. If not, I will post some pictures :)

Day 3....

2009-09-02T13:40:00.002-04:00

This week has not gone like I had hoped for. I am not concerned or upset, just not thinking straight. I knew it was going to be a short week as I had the opportunity to spend the day with a friend in her new house yesterday, but I forgot about an eye doctor appointment today, and we are going camping tomorrow night. Ugh! Oh well, it is still early and it is going to be a good year. I have to keep telling myself that my schedule can and will change and that is part of the reason why we home school. I need to stay flexible with myself and our schedule too. They good news is that I now know why reading has been a struggle for our daughter, her eyes are not working together all of the time. So we have some eye exercises to do for the next two weeks and will get them re-checked to see if it is better and what we need to do from there. Our son, the football star, needs glasses to help see his school work a little better. He was not excited at first, but picked out a very cute pair of glasses. I will post pictures when we pick them up. I must say, he is adorable in them, and did not want to take them off so they could make them. That encouraged me. So, this week is pretty much done for me, but we will pick up school again next week and press on with a smile on our faces :)

First day of School!

2009-08-31T15:45:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of our new school year. It is different teaching a 2nd grader and a kindergartner. I found out that the older they get the more work is required, both for the student and the teacher. I think our son, the kindergartner, is more excited to be in school than our daughter. He is learning about creation for the first two weeks and he just had a blast cutting and gluing and coloring. It is going to be a great school year, and I am looking forward to learning with the kids.

My Football Star!

2009-08-28T11:36:00.004-04:00

My oldest son is 5 and had his first flag football practice last night. It is hard for me to believe that he is old enough or big enough to play football on a team. Wow, the time really does go by fast. It seems like yesterday he was just two days old, wrapped up in my arms, wanting nothing but his momma. Now, he almost never stops other than to eat and go to sleep, which we really have to push him to stop enough to sleep. Anyway, here are a few pictures from his practice last night. I think he is just so cute!

My Beloved...

2009-08-26T14:16:00.007-04:00

Today is the day that you were born many years ago and I am so honored that I get to celebrate it with you today. Your name means Gods honor and beloved. Timothy was energetic and David was a shepherd, musician, poet, soldier, statesman, prophet, and king. You are royalty! You are a very special man of God and an excellent father. I am so proud to be your wife. Tim, I love you and I hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Thankful!

2009-08-24T21:03:00.002-04:00

I don't have much to say today except that I am so thankful that Jesus does not leave me the way I am. He loves me so much that He won't let me stay in the same place day after day. On the fourth Sunday of each month our church has a PHD service, which is for anyone wanting a touch from the Lord. We have teams that come and pray for anyone wanting prayer. I guess I should say that PHD stands for Prophecy, Healing and Deliverance. Well, I am on one of the teams, but I must say that I think I am more blessed by praying for people than the people who I pray for. So after last nights service I was pretty tired and headed out the door and was walking with someone on my team and we were talking. I began sharing something I was going through that day and her and another lady began to pray for me. Lets just say that the enemy was not happy because we were kicking his butt! I had been slowly getting rid of some junk in my life and the Lord cleaned out some more last night. Anyway, today I have felt more free than I have felt in a very long time and I am so glad that Jesus didn't want to leave me that way any longer. So today, I am a free woman, and praising my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for having mercy on me, for being my deliverer, my father, my friend, my begining, my end, my ALL! Thank You for loving me and for not ever leaving me!

Our new school year!

2009-08-20T11:17:00.005-04:00

I am so excited, all of my books came this week and I am getting ready to start our new year in school. My oldest son is 5 and will begin kindergarten using My Fathers World. He is excited and that makes me even more excited. My daughter is going to start second grade and will be using My Fathers World, Wordly Wise, Learning Language Arts through Literature and Math U See. They are both excited about starting school and that makes it even more exciting for me! My only challenge is trying to figure out how to get it all done with both kids. Trying to keep Tra focused and Joyona working on her work. I think I am going to try a timer for our son, he does well when he knows how long he has to sit and work. The good thing about this year is we are schooling all year long, so we will work for 4 weeks then take a week off. So, if I need to change anything I can do it on our break. I am also going to only write out 4 weeks of lesson plans. This way I don't get too overwhelmed and if I need to change things I have the time to do it, and don't have to re-write out the entire year. So, now I have to un-box everything and organize it, and make out the first 4 weeks of lesson plans, then we will be ready to start on August 31st!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2009-08-18T15:31:00.002-04:00

I have been extremely busy these past couple of weeks. I am thankful it is going to slow down this week. I am making it slow down because I can't keep this pace up, and neither can my kids. There is just so much that has happened I am not sure even what to share. I will share this though, today I got my daughter assessed for school. I was a little nervous though because I am getting assessed too since I am her teacher. I knew a little about what was going to happen, but still, until you go through it you are just not sure what it is really like. Well, I found out today that she is doing great and she is gifted in art. I am so excited about the art because she really likes art. I had her in an art class before but the teacher didn't say anything like she was really good or had a gift. This assessor said that she has evaluated many kids and is a teacher herself and normally kids in first grade does not draw in detail like Joyona does. So, thank you Lord for answering my prayer in showing me areas today that she is excelling in! I am really excited about starting our new year on the 31st, and after today, my daughter is excited about starting her new school year too! Thank You Jesus!!!!!

We did it!

2009-08-10T07:46:00.004-04:00

Saturday we had a huge neighborhood garage sale. During the past several months my husband and I have been going through the house in search of things we no longer need to sell, and we came up with a bunch! We needed to make enough money to buy the curriculum for school this year. We made almost enough, so I am thrilled! My husband took today off to take everything that did not sell to the thrift store. We made a deal years ago that nothing comes back into the house after the garage sale. Now, I am going to sit down and order all the books so we can start school on August 31st. I think I am more excited than the kids are?!?!

Technology!

2009-08-05T11:37:00.004-04:00

Sometimes all of this stuff on the computer can be overwhelming to me. It is exciting though to learn it, well some of it. One of the exciting things to me is hooking up with people I went to high school or college with. Last night I had the opportunity to get together with one of my best friends from high school. We have not seen each other for many, many years and when we met we talked like it had not been that long. We caught up on what was going on in each others lives and all of that stuff, had some really good food, and then went shopping. What a great way to get back together after such a long time. We spent over 5 hours together and I can't wait to get together with her again. I am looking forward to meeting her kids and my kids can't wait to meet them either. It is fun listening to them ask me about her, and I love answering their questions. So, along with the frustrations of the technology, I can't wait to see who else I can get back in touch with and reconnect with once again!

A Night With The King!

2009-07-31T14:40:00.003-04:00

About once a quarter our church has hosted A Night With The King. We have brought in a praise team, and invited churches all around are area to come and worship. The cool part is anything goes as far as worship is concerned. We are a Nazarene church, but tonight, you will see people worshiping with flags, dancing, lots of prayer, falling out in the Spirit and who knows what else. I am so excited to be a part of it that I can't wait to get there tonight. This morning my kids and I went over to get the sanctuary ready by moving chairs in the front half of the room so there would be room to do what ever the Lord calls you to do. There is still plenty of chairs left to sit, but it is hard on nights like this. Anyway, several months ago the Lord called me to worship Him with flags, and was released to start on Sunday mornings about a month ago. So, I am even more excited because this week I made my own flag. It is royal purple and I can't wait to get there tonight and praise my Lord and Savior! Since this is the only thing consuming my thoughts right now I thought I would get it out there and my next post I will share with you my night, if I am able too! I hope you all are able to get to a place this weekend and worship Jesus!

They're back :(

2009-07-30T06:39:00.002-04:00

Yesterday morning I discovered small ants around our dog bowl and dog food. This has happened before and is not normally a big deal. We clean everything real good so they loose the scent or trail or what ever ants have and use. Of course we spray before we clean to kill any remaining ants because I don't want them in the house. So, then we discovered them in the dog food, so had to take care of that. Then we discovered them on the counters. Oh, does it end? Well last night my husband and I cleaned the floor, counters, dishes and anything else we could see that the ants were around because there are not normally that many in the house. This morning I got up for my walk after my daughter scared me by just standing there not saying anything, looking at me. Anyway, 3:45 I am wide awake so I get up for my walk early to discover in the kitchen that the ants are back on the counters this morning. Not as many as last night but still, they are back. So, I am not sure if the Lord is trying to tell me something today, but as far as I am concerned I want them out of my house!!!!!

How about that!

2009-07-29T11:35:00.001-04:00

When I first got married my husband used this oil called ZMO. He said it worked for everything and I would tease him and call it his "miracle bottle". Well, after using it now for many years it has some great benefits. I ran out of it and had not gotten around to ordering a new bottle, but finally did. It was sitting in my kitchen and somehow I got stung or bitten or something on my left hand, middle finger. It turned red, swelled and was hurting really bad. On the table sat the new bottle of ZMO so I put some on it. The sting went away almost instantly and the swelling went down shortly there after. Later my husband asked me how my finger was and it did not hurt and there was no swelling. If there was not a bruise mark, you would have never known anything happened to my finger. I was so excited about using this product again that I thought I would share it with you. It has so many uses and benefits to it. This is their website if you would like to read more about it or even order it!

http://www.z-m-o.com/Liniment.html

Getting ready?

2009-07-28T06:51:00.003-04:00

This has been my first year homeschooling my daughter and it has been a long and interesting year. During the Christmas holiday I decided to school all year. It is working out so much better for us in the long run. However, we are still finishing up our school year. We are not really behind, just not where I wanted to be. After looking at what was left to do, we will be finished completely with our first year on August 10th and I am so excited! Now, before I get too excited, we are going to start back up with our next year of school on August 31st. This way I will be able to keep a schedule of 4 weeks of school and 1 week off. We are going to take an entire week off for Thanksgiving, 3 weeks off for Christmas and 2 weeks off for spring break. We will end the year at the end of July 2010 with the month of August off to play! Since it is the end of July, I am getting ready for the next year and the more I get ready the more excited I am getting. I put together my calendar last night so I have written down exactly which weeks we are doing school and which weeks we are "off". I have written out everything I need to buy so I can begin to buy it as I have the funds available. I have to confess that I love buying school supplies this time of year too. Walmart had a great sale last week and I bought some things that probably could have waited, but I was just so excited that I got them anyway. Even my oldest son is getting excited to start his first year of Kindergarten this year. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home and teach my children and even when the days are hard, and my patience is wearing thin, I try to remind myself that "this too shall pass" and "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!"

Wow...

2009-07-24T09:55:00.005-04:00

Today, my head is pounding and I don't have much strength to do much of anything so I have spent a little more time on my computer this morning than usual. I am on Facebook and don't normally look at all the "stuff" people send me because it is just way too much for me to keep up with. Today I did and I found something that just really spoke to me. It is a piece of flair, which to those of you who are not on facebook it is like a button that someone can send you. It says "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her." That really moved me and motivated me this morning. I did not get up and walk as my body is just really tired from the major change this week, and I did not get into the Word this morning because my head is really pounding and I could not get out of bed until the kids got up. This little saying encouraged me. I want to be so lost in God that my husband needs to seek Him just to find me, and even my kids too. So, I am off to get into the Word of God while my kids are playing outside so I can be lost in God today!

And then it rained :)

2009-07-23T05:55:00.003-04:00

I love the rain most of the time. The way it just kind of relaxes you, and makes for a really good night sleep. They way it cools everything off, even for just a moment. The smell it has, just refreshing. When I was a little girl, I would sit in the window with my Grandma and watch it rain. I would get so excited because the birdies would come. Let me explain. When the rain hits the pavement it bounces back up and over kind of like a check mark. Well to a little girl, it looked like little birdies that you draw on your paper, two little curve marks. You know what I am talking about. Well, if you don't, the next time it rains hard, look out on the pavement and use your imagination. It is lots of fun :)

Okay, so, I have been walking again in the mornings. It has been nice to get back into a routine again, especially one when you know the Lord has put it together for you and just fits. Anyway, I got up this morning and it had been raining all day yesterday and during the night, but had stopped, so I walked. About half way through my walk the rain came , not hard enough to see my duckies, but hard enough that I was soaked. It was like a healing rain. The transforming kind, like you see in the movies. Everything is going wrong for that person, then it rains, and now things pick up and the person can smile again because they now have hope. Well that is how I felt this morning walking in the rain. I am climbing out of the hole I have been in , the dirt has been cleaned off, and now all you see is the sparkling and refreshed princess! It was an exciting time with the Lord this morning and I am excited about what He is going to do in me and through me today!

My confession

2009-07-21T10:29:00.004-04:00

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time being completely honest sometimes. Like when someone says "how are you?" and I am really not good, but I say that I am good anyway. Why do I do this? Most of the time I think I do this just because I don't really want to talk about my life or where I am at right that moment with that person. It is nothing personal, but it is something that I think many people do, but that does not make it right. Anyway, I really want to share with you about me right now, at this very moment. I accepted Christ when I was 8 years old and it has been a journey ever since. There were things in my life that happened to me before I came to know Him that did not stop even when I accepted Him and as an adult I did not understand why. Today I can say that I understand that it is who I am and it helped to create the person I am today. Without Christ back then, I would not be who I am today because I made better choices than I probably would have. Anyway, I am not here today to talk about my past. I wanted to share this part because I have followed Christ for over 20 years now and today it is a struggle for me and I am not sure why. Deep down I really do love Him, but I am not spending any time with Him and it is really beginning to affect every area of my life. I was reading a devotional this morning and it was talking about being luke warm. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV) This really hit me, I am luke warm and have been for a while now too. I don't want to be luke warm, I want to have the fire and passion that I once had. The only reason I am not this way is me, because I have changed, because I have stopped spending time with my Father, because I have stopped having a love relationship with my Lord. I want this to change, so I am going to have to change it. I am holding onto some truths from my past that are no longer truths for me now and this must stop. I no longer am going to listen to the lies of the enemy and be bound up by these thoughts and beliefs. I am royalty because I am the daughter of the King of Kings, so this makes me at the very least a princess. So today begins the day that I am Princess Tammie, daughter of the Most High, and my journey back to being in love with Him again. Thank you Lord for this revelation this morning and for helping find my way back to You!

World of Bounce!

2009-07-17T15:22:00.007-04:00

My husband is on vacation this week and we have been doing some fun things around town. Today, we went to the world of bounce and had a blast. Here are some pictures. I hope to be back on some type of routine next week and catch up on the blogging world :)

For Real?????

2009-07-02T10:04:00.004-04:00

So, along with life and being a home owner comes many repairs right? Well our oldest appliance is our refrigerator which is only 11 years old. All of our other appliances has been replaced with in the past five years, but our fridge has been hanging in with us. So, about 2 weeks ago we found water on our floor under our fridge so we called Sears to come out and fix it. Well they finally made it out only to tell me they had good news and bad news. The bad news was that it was not repairable, but the good news is that they will replace it because we have the warranty on it. I didn't know what to say. I just kept asking the guy if he was serious, that they were really going to give me a brand new fridge because this one could not be fixed. Well, one week later, they are bringing me my new refrigerator to my house and taking away the broken one! There were so many to pick from as we were given a price limit and anything over it we had to pay the difference. So, we tried to keep as close as we could because we just don't have any extra money right now to put into a new fridge. We were going to go with a three door unit, but most of the new ones are just a hair too big for the space we have to put our fridge into. There are cabinets around it so space is pretty limited. Anyway, we went with the one that is an updated model from what we have now and there is no overage so it is completely covered by Sears. I am so thankful for my husband investing in a warranty that I have questioned him several times about "do we really need that?" Well, I will never question him again. Thank You Lord for giving us a new refrigerator and for taking care of us!

This weekend...

2009-06-15T11:25:00.003-04:00

We had an exciting weekend. My husband heard about this park close to his office that has water fountains the kids can play in. So we picked up a friend to play with and headed there Saturday afternoon. The kids had a blast running in and out of the fountains. The water was cold so when the wind blew it did get a bit chilly, but they had so much fun playing in the water. After that we went McDonald's to eat and then to another park to keep wearing them out. We don't get to spend as much time with our friend as we would like so we play and have lots of fun with her when we get the chance. The kids went right out when they got in bed Saturday night and I am glad because we had to get up early for church on Sunday. We ended up having lots of family come to church with us and support us in dedicating Elijah. It was such a blessing to look out and see them all sitting there with big smiles on their faces. It actually made me get teary eyed. We had one of our pastors praying over Elijah during the prayer time of the dedication and his prayer was just right on. It was so neat to hear the Lord speak prophecies over him through this pastor. It was so exciting, and Elijah just sat there and watched him intently during the prayer. It was such a blessing. Here are a few pictures of our incredible weekend!

A New Day!

2009-06-11T19:09:00.003-04:00

This morning I started back into my old routine of getting up early and walking. I have been in a bit of a rut lately and this week the Lord showed me that I needed to get back to what He wants me to do. So, I am getting up at 4:00 am and walking before my beloved husband goes to work. This also gives me a good hour or more of quiet time to spend with the Lord before I shower and the kids get moving. Today was a hard transition, but I did it. The coolest part is how supportive my husband is. After my shower I got into my stuff for my face and hair and found a card. The front of it said "It's very simple. I love you." He wrote some very encouraging words on the inside and it just totally blessed me. We have not had cable for over a week now and I think it is bringing our family closer together. Every night after dinner we are spending the time together and the TV is hardly ever on anymore! I am so loving this time we have, and am really enjoying the time my husband and I get when the kids go to bed. We can just sit on the couch and read together, or sometimes put in a movie and just sit together and it is so nice. I love my precious husband and am so thankful for what the Lord is doing in him, me and our family!

Our Little Battle Leader!

2009-06-09T10:29:00.006-04:00

Today, five weeks ago, we adopted our precious Elijah. We have had him since he was born and is a sibling to our other two children. Even though we have had him from birth and knew he was ours, there is something exciting about making it official through the courts that he is our son. The neat thing is the judge we had for his adoption is the same one we had when we adopted our older two children. He remembered us too! This Sunday in church we are finally able to dedicate him back to the Lord publicly and I am so excited. Our church is big and we have several people form our counties children services that attend there so we have to make sure not to break any of the rules of foster care and "advertisement", but that is okay with us. We don't mind waiting until it is official in the worlds eyes to dedicate him at church. Anyway, I wanted to officially introduce you to my youngest son Elijah Kincaid, our little Battle Leader for God!

Cable...

2009-06-01T13:59:00.003-04:00

For many years now I have complained about the television and its programs to my husband. I really don't like television and have wanted to get rid of it for years. So, my husband came to me last week and said that he agreed with me and he thought we should get rid of the cable television for the summer. We will see how that goes and then re-evaluate it in the fall. Of course I laughed and said that he would never go through with it and how was he going to make it all summer with out baseball. Well, to my surprise, he told me yesterday that he wanted me to call our cable company this morning and cancel our services. So, being the good wife that I am, I called this morning and cancelled our cable services. Now, there is a huge part of me excited because I really don't like television. But, there is a small part of me that is in panic mode, especially because today was a stormy day. This is teaching me that I have come to depend on something that I really don't like in the first place. How about that. It is also what the Lord has been showing me this past weekend. I am not putting Him first in all that I do. I have not been doing everything for the Lord and making Him my everything. So, today is the first day of June and a major life changing day for me. No more television, because as far as I am concerned there is nothing good on NBC, ABC, FOX or CBS and I have no desire to watch them. So, I will let you know how this change goes, but I am looking forward to an adventurous summer with my family and no television distractions.

The first stop on our vacation!

2009-05-28T09:04:00.004-04:00

One of the places we went on our vacation last week was Great Wolf Lodge in Cincinnati Ohio. We had a great time. The kids had so much fun going down the water slides. It wore me out. Joyona was tall enough to go by herself, but still not ready to. Tra, our oldest boy, was just a couple of inches too short to go by himself, but was able to go with an adult. Elijah, well lets just say that he wasn't tall enough and that was okay with him. This was our first time to this indoor water park and we will definitely be back. It has a slide that is big enough for the entire family. We did all go on it twice and we laughed all the way down at Elijah's expression on his face. I wish I had a picture of that.

This is a slide in the kiddie area. Elijah was not sure about it but liked sitting on the top of the slide and watched his brother and sister go down.

Tra loved this slide the most. It was the fastest of the kid slides and had the most water going down.

Joyona, well she liked these slides second to the big slides. She mostly just had fun playing with her brothers.

In the evening there was a story time with the wolf. The kids loved it. Elijah would not take his eyes off of him to take a picture. He just kept smiling really big at the wolf. It was so cute. The kids are already planning our next trip. It was the perfect time because there was no crowd. Hopefully we can make this a little get away for our family once a year, but we will see. For now, we have the memory of a great time and can't wait to see what is next!

Vacation!

2009-05-22T21:12:00.005-04:00

Well the love of my life has taken the week off from work. His vacation started on week ago when he came home from work and will end Tuesday morning when he has to go back. It has been a great and relaxing time for us. We have had little trips here and there and have had a great time enjoying each other and our kids. During the next week I will be sharing some of the stories and pictures with you. I just wanted to take a minute and let you know that I didn't fall off the face of the earth yet again. I have just been busy enjoying my man and my kids. I am looking forward to getting back to my routine next week and finishing up the last stretch of school with my daughter. So, I hope you all have a Great holiday weekend and I will be back to share all the fun details with you next week!

Oh Lord, Be Thou Near To Me...

2009-05-15T23:13:00.006-04:00

This is the words to a song I have posted on the right side of my blog. I have never added a song here before so I hope this works :)

Oh Lord I come with heart here open,
For in my hour of darkness I'm in need.
Seeking the joy of love unspoken
Oh Lord be Thou near to me.

And the holy voices “Hallelu!”
Ever will Thy reign be.
As I wander through this life,
Oh Lord, be Thou near to me.

Though In this burden of my making
Yet in the shadows still a light
I see Maker whose love is not forsaking
Oh lord be thou near to me

And the holy voices “Halleluja!”
Ever will Thy reign be.
As I wander through this life,
Oh Lord, be Thou near to me.

I have some things heavy on my heart today and this song really ministered to me. I have not been taking my time with the Lord lately and this is hurting my spiritual walk greatly. Because of this I have been trying to make decisions on my own and cannot do this any longer. I need to get back into worship and fellowship with Him and today this song really ministered to me. Anyway, I am also trying to be more transparent in my life so in doing that I wanted to share this with you my blogger friends. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me share from my heart today.

My oldest son :)

2009-05-14T13:26:00.006-04:00

As you know I haven't been on here for a while. Things were just going crazy in my life and I had to get some things under control. Well, I missed some monumental things in my life and I wanted to go back and share some of them with you. The first one is that my oldest son Tra turned 5 on April 26th. He wanted to celebrate his birthday with his friends at Chuck E Cheese. This was his first birthday party outside of the family. He had a blast and I learned a lot about birthday parties. Let me just say that I am glad we don't have them every year. Because family couldn't all be there he ended up having three different parties that weekend. Here are a few pictures of his party weekend.

Tra, you are a special little boy. You were the first baby I ever had and you were a little trooper. You always make me smile and you are very creative. You are a great singer and I love watching you change and grow into the young man that God wants you to be. You love your sister and brother and you are very good at sharing your toys. Tra, I love you and you will always be my little boy.

Organization!

2009-05-12T20:12:00.005-04:00

I have decided that we have way too much stuff in our house. We have a small house with 5 people living in it and no room left. I have discovered a new show on television about organization and I love it. One reason I love it is because I see people on there that have way more stuff than I do and their houses are trashed. I am sorry to say that this gives me comfort in that my house isn't really that bad, although it needs much work still. Now, I really like it because it is giving me ideas on how to decorate and organize my home and it is giving me motivation to get rid of things that I have been holding onto for a while and really don't need them anymore. So I am proud to say that I am going through boxes and getting rid of things. This feels really good and I am seeing progress in my house and it is beginning to look good too. Most importantly I am teaching my children how to get rid of things that they don't need and to maintain a clutter free home. Now, I need to get things together to organize my kids closets on a small budget. If you have any ideas please share.

The Best Gift!

2009-05-09T23:47:00.003-04:00

I have had a busy sleepless weekend but it has been the best weekend and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Friday night my nephew spent the night and tonight a very special little girl is spending the night. The best part of this is this afternoon they were all in our van and we were headed to my parents to celebrate mothers day. My dad fixed us all dinner and it was great! Steak, baked potato, salad and shrimp. It was the best dinner I have had in a long time, mostly because I didn't have to do anything, but it was really yummy. Anyway, at one point I looked back at all the kids in our maxed out mini-van and they were all playing and having a great time together. This brought a tear to my eye, realizing that the Lord has hand picked each one of my children, and even though I don't know how or when He will reveal all the details of bringing us all together to live in the same home with the same last name we can still be together. Tonight was a great night and I hope every mom has a great day and enjoys their families!

Finally :)

2009-03-11T07:42:00.003-04:00

Well I must confess that I am a bit excited for this weekends services at our church. Our pastor is going to talk about adoption and is going to interview a couple who has adopted three girls from China. I am so excited as adoption is so close to my heart. My husband and I started an orphan care ministry there about two years ago and we have wanted to talk about foster care and adoption during a service for a while. God is moving and we now have an opportunity. Our pastor is going to talk about both adopting children and being adopted into the Kingdom. I am so excited as I have been praying for this opportunity for many years now. My prayer is that the people will be ready to receive the message the Lord has for them not only on adopting children or helping orphans, but being adopted into His Kingdom and what that means for them. On a more personal note, I am also excited because all of the details have been worked out with our county and we have been in contact with our Lawyer. All the papers are signed and I am just waiting to hear back from her to get our court date so we can adopt our youngest son. She told me on the phone this past weekend that it would probably be the 3rd or 4th weekend in April, of course I am hoping for the 3rd. God is moving in my life so much lately I can't even stand it sometimes. He is so Awesome! Anyway, I just wanted to share a bit of what is going on here in my life. Have a blessed day!

Spring Cleaning!?!

2009-03-09T09:39:00.007-04:00

Good morning! Today is going to be a great day. The sun is shining, it is above freezing and I feel like some spring cleaning today. Last night I discovered some snow men we still had out for decorations, but no more. I don't only mean spring cleaning my house, I am also going to spring clean out my heart. I was reading heart of the matter online this morning and realized this last week my joy has been missing. I really want it back so starting today I am doing some soul searching to find it again. There has been some things going on in my life that I normally don't let bother me, but for some reason they have really weighed me down. No more! Today is a new day and I am not letting these things take a hold of me any longer. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength", and today I need His strength just to keep going. Thank You Lord for loving me and never leaving me!

Thankful...

2009-03-05T12:40:00.005-05:00

I am so thankful that I serve a God that never leaves me nor forsakes me. I am so thankful that when I am weak He is strong. I am thankful that no matter where I go, he is right there beside me. Sometimes He is the only reason I get through my day because He is carrying me through it. I am so thankful that He loves me for who I am, but doesn't want me to stay the same either. He wants me to become more like Him and will encourage me and whisper to me to stay focused on Him. I am learning that He won't yell at me from a distance, but will only whisper to me up close. I want to feel His breath on my face, and feel His arms wrapped around me. I want to be so intimate with Him that I never want to be in a place where He is not there. I want to be so much in love with Jesus that you can't tell me apart from Him. I am a royalty, and it is time I began to live like it.

Check this out...

2009-03-03T21:52:00.002-05:00

It has been a few days since I have posted. Things has been crazy with me, but fun and exciting all in the same time. My daughter has finished cheering for upward basketball and I must say that I am so thankful. She has not been into it and we have learned this time that she just is not to be a cheerleader. So, now it is onto gymnastics, which she is really good at. Now, I have another blog and this month I am supporting a family in my church who is adopting. So through out March I will be sharing her story. As you get the chance, stop on by and read her story. As the Lord leads pray for her as many of you reading can definitely relate to her and what she is going through. She check's the blog and is excited to share her story with anyone who will read it. Anyway, I am back and I can't wait to catch up on the blog world and see what has been going on in my blogger friends lives.

Oh, Precious Hearts is my other blog and the address is: http://hisprecioushearts.blogspot.com/

Growing pains!

2009-02-25T09:30:00.003-05:00

My daughter is 7 now and I did not realize with her birthday we were going to get the extreme attitude. Oh my, has it come and it is pushing me to a level I have not been since I lived at home with my sister. I have come to realize that she is very much like my sister with her actions and her attitudes. Well today I have had enough. She is doing things on her own and I am hoping this will teach her some things. Honestly, it will probably teach me more than her because some of the things she will have to do will show me just how old she really is. She is my oldest, and I am having a hard time letting her grow up and be responsible for some extra things. Anyway, if anyone has any words of wisdom on how to deal with a little girl with attitude please share because I am at a loss and willing to learn. I praise God for this challenge and am realizing that the older my kids get the more I am on my knees praying! Thank you Father for blessing me with her and allowing me to be her mother.

Blessed...

2009-02-19T11:18:00.004-05:00

I am so thankful that the Lord hears my prayers and is faithful to answer them. Yesterday was a strange day for me, but I was counting on His words to lift me up and comfort me, and they did. The last few nights I have spent several hours on my face, crying out to Him, pouring out m my heart to Him. There are some things I needed direction for and some things I needed Him to change. Well yesterday He gave me some answers to some of the situations I had been seeking Him for. I am so excited. One of them is school and just direction and wisdom on what to do. He used a situation I had with my daughter and completely showed me how to change to give her more responsibility. Today, we changed to His plan, and it is working great! Soon, I will be able to share more with you, but for now I just wanted to give a brief update and say that things are definitely better today! I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me next! "I possess the Greater One in me because greater is He in me than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Today...

2009-02-18T09:13:00.004-05:00

Today is an off day for me. I am not feeling 100% and there are things weighing heavy on my heart. All I have in me today is to give scripture that I am claiming today just to make it through. I hope it encourages you as much as it is me!

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Cor.6:19
I am strong in the Lord - Eph.6:10
I am holy and without blame before Him. - Eph.1:4
I am accepted in Christ - Eph. 1:6
I am blessed - Deut.28:1-14
I am victorious - Rev.21:7
I am set free - Jn 8:31-33
I am crucified with Christ - Gal.2:20
I am His faithful follower - Eph.5:1
I am more than a conqueror - Rom.8:37
I am an ambassador for Christ - 2 Cor.5:20
I am a king and a priest unto God - Rev.1:6
I am overtaken with blessings - Deut.28:2
I am healed by the wounds of Jesus - 1 Pet.2:24
I am complete in Christ - Col.2:10
I am the apple of my Father's eye - Ps.17:8
I am free from condemnation - Rom.8:1
I am chosen - 1 Thess.1:4
I am being changed into His image - Phil.1:6
I am one in Christ! Halleluajah! - Jn.17:21-23
I have all my needs met by God according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus - Phil.4:19
I have the peace of God which passes understanding. - Phil.4:7

"When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, that's being Crucified with Christ."

"When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any unpunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to-face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility - and endure it as Jesus endured, that's being crucified with Christ."

Those were taken from a paper that was handed out to me in a class I am taking. I want to be crucified in Christ so I can live my life that way too. Have a blessed day in the Lord!

My sweet 2 year old!

2009-02-16T09:25:00.005-05:00

Well Saturday was a fun day here in my house. Not only was it Valentines day, but it was our youngest sons 2nd birthday. He has changed so much in the past year. He is our most animated child so far. He loves to smile and make you laugh. He also wants to get things his own way and if he doesn't throws a major fit. He loves playing with his brother and sister, and he will take your hand and show you what he is talking about if you don't quite understand him. It is so cute to see him leading his daddy around the house telling him things. At his first birthday he dug right into the cake with his hands and he was a mess. This year he had to eat it with a fork, just like everyone else. He was still messy, but not as much. He loved his cake and was very upset when it was all gone. He definitely brings joy into my day. I love his little smile, and how he will not stop yelling mama until I respond to him. In fact, his tone changes and gets this funny pitch in it the longer he goes. We will be adopting him soon and then I will put a picture of him on here for you all to see my sweet little Elijah. Until then, you will just have to imagine how cute he is.

A time of reflection

2009-02-12T09:22:00.003-05:00

Have you ever been in a place of reflection where you go back through your journal and see what the Lord has done or is revealing to you? Where I am there. Monday was a special day in that I could just relax and not worry about anything. Since then the Lord has had me in a time of reflection where I have been reminded of times past and where He has brought me. How He has changed me and is changing me still. What He has done for me and through me. It is a hard place to be and a special place to be all at the same time. I am enjoying being here with the Lord and ready to go to the next place with Him. The Lord reminded me of His joy this past weekend and it has been fun walking around with His joy this past week. Thank You Lord for loving me this much!

I get a day off!

2009-02-09T09:17:00.007-05:00

I just have to say that I have the best husband ever. He went away this weekend to a cabin in southern Ohio with some of his friends. They like roughing it, no toilet, no shower, no water unless you bring it yourself, and sometimes no heat if there is no wood cut or dry. Anyway, when he planned this weekend trip he decided to take the Monday after his weekend off. At first I thought it was to recover from his weekend. That is when he shocked me! He took the day off so that I could take the day off. How exciting. He is going to stay home and take care of the kids and I get to leave and do what ever I want to and stay out as late as I want to and not have to worry about the house or kids! I am so excited! He is out getting his fingerprints for the adoption of our youngest boy, then when he gets home I am out of here. I just wanted to write a short note saying what a great husband I have. I am truly blessed to have him by my side and I love him more and more every day. He is truly the best thing that has happened to me and I am so thankful the Lord brought us together over 12 years ago. He is the most handsome man I know and I am proud to be his wife. I love you Tim and thank you for today!

What a visual

2009-02-06T09:45:00.004-05:00

Today we are getting a new roof on our house. I know it sounds weird, but we have been on a waiting list since the end of September 2008. There was a storm that came through Ohio and had hurricane winds, which is unusual here. Well we had severe roof damage and between the roofing company and the insurance company they couldn't even start until the end of November. That put us on a very long waiting list and then the weather plays a huge factor. So yesterday they came and knocked all the snow and ice off our roof and today they are up there banging away, tearing the old off and putting the new on. This reminds me of my devotional this morning. I have been studying the life of David and am in 2 Samuel right now. Today it was talking about the character traits of David and are there any that I would I God to develop in my life? Well yes, there are two that jumped off the page at me; a greater heart for Worship and a greater depth of cooperation. I want to be a woman after Gods own heart and in doing this I want to worship Him always and do what He wants me to do anytime and anyplace. So, as my roof is being transformed from old to new, I too am transforming my heart. Out with the old and in with the new. Thank you Lord for this great visual for me today!

By the way, I was born in the hallway of my house. My mother did not have labor pains so when her water broke the ambulance was on the way. By the time they got there and checked her out they only made it to the hallway and then I came rushing out. In high school I played the clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax, trombone and baritone - 5 instruments. Now for the lie. I did not fail my 6th grade year but it was the hardest for me. We moved from one county's public school district to another county's public school district and I went from straight A's to failing in one month. It took me all year to catch up to their standards, but I finally made it to a C and passed the 6th grade. This was fun and thanks for playing with me!

2 Truths and a lie!

2009-02-04T07:28:00.002-05:00

So, there is a blog I follow and she did this a few days ago. It sounded like fun and so I thought today since I couldn't think of anything else to post I would try it too. I am not very good at coming up with a lie so I am not sure if I will stump anyone, but here it goes anyway.

1) I was born in the hall way of the house my house.

2) I failed the 6th grade because we moved to a tougher school district.

3) I played 5 different instruments in high school.

Timing, Tone and Temperature.

2009-02-02T11:31:00.003-05:00

I am a part of our churches Upward Basketball leadership team. It has been such a blessing to be a part of this group. The Lord had me step completely out of my comfort zone and in doing so has blessed me for it. Anyway, we are half way through the season and yesterday we had a meeting to prepare for the rest of the season and to plan the awards ceremony. One of the leaders prepared a devotional and it really got me thinking. He was sharing that when our kids "act out" it usually isn't the best time and we need to stop and take just a few seconds to think about what is going on and maybe even why it is going on. To try not to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I thought this was funny at first, but this happens to me all the time, especially with my oldest son. It may be something little, but because of where I am at, I tend to over react and probably make something bigger than what it needs to be. Next is tone, how am I coming across to my kids in my tone? Most of the time in these situations my tone is anger, and that isn't good. Our tone creates the temperature of the situation and if my tone is anger, then I increase the temperature just by reacting to what ever the situation is. So, all of this got me thinking yesterday about how I want to handle situations with my children. I want to take a minute to listen to what is really going with my kids so my tone is under control, even if I am upset, so I do not increase the temperature of the situation. If I control my timing and tone, the kids behaviors won't be worse because of my reactions to their situation and hopefully the mole hill will remain a mole hill or even better disappear all together instead of me creating a mountain.

10 Names

2009-01-30T09:42:00.003-05:00

I am on facebook and this is one of the things one of my friends did and it looked like fun. So I did it and had so much fun with it I thought I would post it today so you too could have fun reading it too!

1. YOUR REAL NAME: Tamara Marshan Helsel

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle): Tamizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color and favorite animal): Green Horse

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (your middle name & street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a # ): Marshan Hickory

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your firstname): Helta

6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME (Your 2nd favorite color, and fav drink): Red Diet Dr Pepper

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of Your mom's maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name , 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms first name): Alhivta

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (parents middle names): Joyce Earl

9. YOUR GOTH NAME (black, and the name of one of your pets): Black Abby

10.YOUR HOOD NAME (first 3 letters of your first name, then add "iqua”): Tamiqua

Getting out.

2009-01-29T13:51:00.002-05:00

Normally when I am home I don't mind that I haven't gone anywhere for a few days, but for some reason this week has been different for me. I have been stuck in my house since Monday and I am really wanting to just get out of the house. Last night a friend called and asked if I could go with her to take her foster child to a visit downtown and I was so excited. I had a reason to get out of the house and I couldn't wait. We are still on a level 2 snow emergency which means they only want you out driving if you have to, but I didn't even care. It was so nice just to get out of the house and do something other than school, cleaning and listening to everyone mope because there is nothing to do. Some of the roads were not bad and some of them were really not good at all, but it was a nice break from our routine. So, now I am back in the house and have a few things to finish up before my husband comes home tonight. We have more snow coming this weekend too so I am going to try to get to the store tonight for some more food too. I am needing something else besides peanut butter and jelly.

What fun!

2009-01-28T08:46:00.007-05:00

What a fun day we had here yesterday. I read the post to my daughter and she was so excited to read all the comments. Thank you for encouraging her yesterday. So today we are under a level 2 snow advisory and everyone is stuck at home again today. I think we have at least a 1/2 inch of ice over the snow we had and there is more snow on the way today. I love the snow, but I am ready to get out of the house. Oh well, whats a girl to do but have fun playing with the kids in the snow. Today my husband is working from home again and I think we are going to try to get out this afternoon and play in the back yard. Our youngest son didn't want anything to do with the snow a few weeks ago, but hopefully he will play with us today. Here are a couple pictures for those of you who are in states that doesn't see much snow and ice. Enjoy and have a Blessed day!

Our swing shows how thick the ice is here so far.

Our back yard this morning while big fat snow flakes were falling.

Happy Birthday My Princess!

2009-01-27T11:22:00.005-05:00

January 27, 2002 was a special day and I didn't even know it. In fact, I don't even remember what I was doing that day, but I do know the Lord was preparing me to have a daughter. One who is beautiful, creative, has a smile that is never ending and can make me smile by just looking at her. She is my only daughter at this point in my life and I am so blessed to be her mother. Pink is her favorite color, and she loves to dress up. In fact, she could wear a dress everyday if she was able to. Her favorite thing to do is play dress up. There isn't a day that goes by where she isn't wearing bracelets up her arms, earrings all over her ears, silk scarves either on her head or around her neck and some type of fancy outfit over her clothes. She is a huge helper around the house with having two younger brothers, and she does a great job too. She loves to go to church and loves the Lord. She is a prayer warrior and has the gift of healing. She looks for the opportunity to pray all the time and many times she has healed my head or an ache I have had. She is such a blessing to me and our family would not be complete with out her. So, my dear precious princess, I hope you have a great birthday today and I love you very much!

Clear

2009-01-26T10:16:00.003-05:00

This weekend was revealing for me. The Holy Spirit moved in my life in a way that I can't even understand and He made some things so clear to me. I don't even understand it all, but I know that today I feel like a different person. I have spent the last three weeks fasting and things that have not been clear to me lately are now very clear and it is like I am understanding what I am supposed to be doing. I am sure that doesn't even make sense, but it is where I am at today and I am loving it. Thank you for the comments from my last post. I was really down and on myself about stuff and was having a really hard day and your comments really motivated me and encouraged me. My life verse is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." He has been showing me that He knows what my desires are even if I am not asking for them or seeking them out. As long as I keep my focus on Him, He is going to take care of me and then bless me with my unspoken desires. I can't wait to see the many blessings He will send my way in 2009. I pray you all are having a great day in the Lord and remember that you too are blessed and highly favored and are a prince or princess of the Most High King!