This is for Maw!

Another "Rotten Apple" got in the picture too! ;)

My thoughtful mother is always picking up something for the grandkids. After Christmas she was in Tennessee and found these shirts that said "Rotten to the Core" and bought them for the kids. Of coarse I have to admit that they are rotten but....guess who has had a BIG hand in doing that...I think you can guess. Finally the other night all of my "Rotten" apples put them on and I made pictures. So Mom these pictures and this post is for you. Thank you for the T-Shirts, just make sure the next ones say "Rotten to the Core and its my grandparents fault"!! By the way Mom where is my T-Shirt?

I love you Mom and your grandkids think you're the greatest!!

From Our kitchen to Yours....

Left over spaghetti?

Sunday we had spaghetti for lunch and even with my family (2 adults and 3 kids) we had leftovers. I always cook my noodles and sauce seperate and then we serve our plates from there. So for lunch today I mixed the noodles and sauce together and poured it in a 9x13 greased casserole dish. Then I added sliced cheese (grated chesse would be great too) on the top. I baked it in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese was melted. So we had a new something for lunch, Spaghetti Bake, and not just "leftovers". It is really good and different. I haven't always been confident enough to try new things but over the years I have ventured out and now I don't mind trying something new. When I try something new my family gets to be the ginny pigs...Bryan doesn't mind. So what new things have you tried, I would love to hear from you. Happy Cooking!!

A nugget of God's truth...

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, but I was introduced to one of her books almost 3 years ago and since then have grown to admire her. I don't admire her for her beauty, fame or riches but for her walk with the Lord and the Truth that she teaches. She teaches God's Word even when it's not the popular thing and those teachers are few and far between. I would highly recommend that you check out her website at www.reviveourhearts.com and even encourage you to take one of the challenges that they offer. I have done the True Woman challenge on her site and have gained so much from it.

Check out what Psalm 127 says...

Psalm 127
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

In case you don't know, I am crazy about my family!! I love being a wife and a mother and I know that I am fulfilling God's call on my life. When I read Psalm 127 I know that I can not do this without God. These verses remind me that I need to persistently and fervently pray for God to help me and that He would turn my children's hearts toward Him (verse 1). Jonothan Edwards, a great man of God, prayed daily for 5 generations after him. I want to start now praying for my children's spouses and for my grandchildren. Also from Psalm 127:4 the Bible is clear that we will send our children out and I must ask myself am I instilling in them a vision for how GOD wants to use them to fulfill His purposes in our world. I have come to realize that I have a very important work to do and I can not take it lightly, I must get on my face and seek God daily and moment by moment. This mother thing has a great reward....eternity.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

Bryan and Sarah pulling Elijah on the horse.

Sarah and Mrs. Stacie on the sled.

Isaac throwing snowballs!

Me with the kids! (Elijah is with my mom)

Bryan with the kids

Timothy crawling in the snow!

Mr. Shane pushing Sarah, Brady and Isaac on the sled.

Mine and Elijah's turn on the sled!

Elijah

Timothy

Sarah

Isaac

My pictures are in no particular order. You see we actually enjoyed the snow for 2 days!! On Friday the children had so much fun watching it snow and wondering if it would stick enough to play in. Isaac said "I prayed 3 times that it would snow and I thought I would have to pray 7 times like Elijah in the Bible, but it only took 3 times.". Once we had eaten lunch we all bundled up and headed outside for some fun in the snow. Bryan got out a cardboard box for the kids to slide on, but Sarah discovered the plastic rocking horse in the barn and thought that would be a nice ride. It turned out they had they best time on the horse. They also enjoyed building a snowman that was over 6 feet tall!! Timothy had his first snow experience and had a great time! I put him down in the snow and he crawled everywhere. I really thought he would eat it but he didn't! Then I brought Timothy inside for dry clothes and a nap while the rest of the family stayed out and played some more. Finally it was time for everyone to come in and put on dry clothes and rest for awhile. God is so good!! The snow was still on the ground Saturday morning and we took advantage of it. Once breakfast was eaten we bundled up again and went out to enjoy the snow once more. This time I didn't take Timothy out and he let me know it too. Some of our nieghbors came over with their youngest son, who is Sarah's age, and brought two sleds. Since Timothy was down for a nap I got to go outside and enjoy being with the kids and the snow. We had so much fun with the Denham's and riding the sleds. The kids were outside in the snow for atleast 2 hours just on Saturday!! As little as it does snow here in Alabama I am glad we got to enjoy this snow for two days. Thank you God for snow and for those beautiful blessings we call children!!

He is standing!

Timothy has been standing alone more and more each day. He even started yesterday standing up from a sit by himself. I am just amazed at how fast this boy is growing and advancing. Did you notice the blue eyes? Bryan and I had thought that the older he got they would turn brown like the rest of the kids, but here he is 10 months old and they are still blue. I think it is just awesome how God has His own "blue print" for our individual looks. I just love those blue eyes and it does make him different in the eye color department of our family. My mother and Bryan's mother has blue eyes so it is in the genes. I have been praying for Timothy more because I know that as he will be standing up and learning to walk there will be some bumps and bruises....Watch him grow.....

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!! John 3:16

10 months old!

Today Timothy is 10 months old!! It is so very hard to believe that in 2 months we will be celebrating his 1st Birthday!! He is growing up so fast. He has 6 teeth and two more on the bottom that are coming in....if he gets a hold of something he is going to chew on it. Timothy is starting to let go and stand alone, and has even taken a small step...so I am sure that walking is right around the corner. That little boy is such a joy and blessing! I will also add that Timothy is a very loved little boy...not just by me but Isaac, Sarah, Elijah and Bryan just can't get enough of him. I think we all have spoiled him.

Life: What a Beautiful Choice

I am in the middle of reading the book "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It has been a very good book and my dear hubby is reading it with me (I just love him). I wanted to share with you one thing I read the other day in the Chapter on Lies about Priorities. She tells how her refrigerator has pictures of families all over it and each year after Christmas she replaces the old photo with the new one and then thinks about what that family has been through the previous year, example: a new baby, a grandchild born, a new job, a move, a death, etc..

In the middle of the photos, I have placed a bumper sticker you may recall seeing several years ago: "Life: What a Beautiful Choice". These women have chosen life by bearing children (something only a woman can do, I might add); and they are choosing life everyday....
with every meal they prepare;
with every load of dirty clothes they wash;
with every trip they make to the grocery store, to school, to the dentist, to piano lessons, to soccer practice, or to the shoe store;
with every scraped knee they bandage;
with every encouraging word they speak;
with every night hour they spend rocking a sick or scared child;
with every dispute they arbitrate;
with every moment they spend building Legos, coloring, helping with math problems, reading a Bible story, or listening to a husband or child describe his day;
with every moment they spend interceding for the spiritual growth and protection of their family.
Day in and day out they are building a home; they are being life givers; they are laying a foundation and building a memorial that will outlive them for generations to come; they are honoring their Creator in the greatest possible way.

This was something I need to be reminded of through out my days. It was an encouragement for me and my prayer is that is has touched your heart in some way. Thank you for chooisng life...what a beautiful choice!!