SIX more days!!

Hey Everyone -

Please help us help some less fortunate families this year. We started out just trying to help out two families but God has placed four more on our hearts to help out. We have been in need to the point where we literally didn't know where the next meal was coming from, except that God would provide it... So PLEASE help us help these families!!

Please go to: http://whenbadthingshappen2goodpeople.blogspot.com and donate to help us help these families. Money will go towards Christmas gifts, clothes, grocery store gift cards and paying bills for these families. PLEASE help us help others this Christmas season and year round.

Merry Christmas!!!

Please help out a family in need this season... Only 8 days till Christmas!!

Hey Guys!!

I have posted something about this once already, and I'm going to do it again because it's something that I really feel strongly about and because I have been there, as a mom and as a kid. And so far we have only had $5.00 donated to help these families. Please spread the word and help make Christmas happen for someone else!!

We have 3 families that we are trying to help out this year. Please go check out http://whenbadthingshappen2goodpeople.blogspot.com and donate to help us help these families. You can donate monetarily by clicking on the donate button on the right hand side of the screen or you can leave a comment with your email address for any other donations you may want to make.

Thank you!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

music

I. LOVE. MUSIC.

And... If you know anything about me, at all, you know this to be true. I sing in the car. In the shower. While I'm cleaning. With my children. At church. At the grocery store. At the gym. In restaurants. And I LOVE all types of music, I can't really think of any type that I hate. There is some music I don't particularly care for but I appreciate the creative process that goes into creating music, from the lyrics to the sounds.

My husband runs www.rockthecross.net which is a music news and reviews website. We review music. All of our reviewers have different taste in music, which in my opinion, gives us the most honest input on our reviews that are posted to the site. Not everyone likes everything and quite honestly, there are people that only like one type of music and never broaden their "musical vocabulary."

That being said, there are a few things that I don't get when it comes to music reviewers and musicians that are being reviewed. We'll call the musicians "m" and the music reviewers "ma" :)

1: ma: make sure you review & address EVERY aspect of the album, ie. the lyrics, the message, the sound, the effects, the story behind the music. don't just say, "meh, I don't like this band, never have, never will, they suck." actually take time for the review and make it at least sound like you did your homework and researched the band, the album, the songs, the sounds, etc.

2: m: don't take it personal, not everyone is going to love you. there is a reason that we are all different and talented in different ways. some will LOVE hard rock and some will love classic jazz sounds, it's okay.

3: ma: if you work for a Christian music site, try to judge your reviews biblically. part of a music reviewers job is to be a critic, but more importantly, as Christians we need to run things through what the Word of God says. Ephesians 4:29 says 'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.' In laymen terms: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. We need to review the music, objectively, but we also need to be mindful that we are the body of Christ and we need to uplift each other and encourage each other, especially those that are in front of hundreds of thousands of people trying to reach them for Christ.

4: m: please, if you say you are a Christian artist and you are out there wanting to reach other, please maintain that no matter what... stick to your guns, there are a lot of people out there that look up to you and not to sound mean or rude but, whether you like it or not, you are leading by example. we've met bands that the only reason they are in the Christian genre is because it was "easier" to get in to, this is saddening to me and it makes it hard to encourage people to listen to your music.

I'm leaving at only those points because I feel like those are a few of the major things that review sites run in to. Like I said, I love music and I love meeting artists and listening to new music. I just feel like there are a few things that everyone should know about some of it.

And now...........

For my shameless plug of my husbands website :)
Check out:

WWW.ROCKTHECROSS.NET for all your music news, reviews, concerts, concert photography, and the BEST contests and prizes around!!!

the church

If you follow me on twitter you probably saw me twitter that the reason most people don't want to step into the church, is because of the church... and I really, very strongly feel this way.

I got the chance to talk to someone today and it was pretty neat. The reason she hasn't been in church a lot recently is because of the church and her experience with the church... Which is VERY sad. If we would just love on people the way Jesus did we couldn't keep people away from "the church", meaning the body of Christ.

my bucket list

So i've been thinking a lot about things I want to do, see and places I want to go... Kind of my "bucket list" so to speak. And I figured better than just talking about would be to write(type) it out and do it! So - here is my list of things I've always wanted/wanted to do, and in no particular order(italicized means I've done it!!):


1. Paris & the Eiffel Tower
2. Las Vegas
3. New York, New York
4. Disney World
5. Universal Studios
6. The Keys
7. Bahamas
8. Jamaica
9. Italy
10. Greece
11. Honduras
12. San Francisco
13. Los Angeles
14. Washington, DC
15. Seattle, Washington
16. Savannah, GA
17. Tybee Island
18. New Orleans
19. Miami, FL
20. Cabo
21. Cancun
22. Alaska
23. Skydive
24. Parasail
25. Parachute
26. Disneyland
27. Hollywood
28. Take a cruise
29. Go on a cross country road trip
30. Get a tattoo with my husband's & my kids' names/initials
31. Get my nose pierced
32. Tattoo on my foot
33. Take a couples dance class with my hubby
34. go Skiing in Colorado
35. ice skate on a frozen lake in a northern state
36. jump off a waterfall
37. visit Hawaii with my husband & daughters
38. learn how to drive a stick shift
39. go to Hilton Head Island w/my family
40. hop a plane for an impromptu/spontaneous day and/or weekend trip
41. fly in a private plane somewhere for a day
42. rock climb (and not on a rock wall... REAL rock climbing)
43. I want to go hunting
44. deep sea fishing with my girls
45. a girls only beach trip with my sisters, sister in law and daughters
46. drive up the california coast
47. venice
48. prague
49. the grand canyon
50. the cayman islands
51. thailand
52. africa
53. drive a corvette, a ferrari, a delorean
54. horseback riding down the beach
55. watch a westcoast sunset
56. drive on the autobon
57. a "surprise date"
58. a night at the Fox
59. to see something on broadway
60. dinner and dancing all gussied up

there's more, i'm sure, scratch that, I KNOW! And I'll add them as I think of them :)
What are some of your recommendations? or somethings on your "bucket list"?

words.

Psalm 57:4
My soul is among lions; I lie among them that are set on fire, Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.

Psalm 64:3
Who have whet their tongue like a sword, And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,

Proverbs 12:18
There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health.

Hosea 7:16
They return, but not to him that is on high; they are like a deceitful bow; their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.


Words are very powerful. Especially when used the wrong way. I don't know what your spiritual beliefs are, but scripture even warns us of the danger of using our words to cut others. And today I did just that. I was hurt and fired back... It's amazing the things that come out of your mouth before you even realize what you are saying. And we always know just what to say to hurt the ones that we love... And we can always hurt the ones we love the most. And I am guilty of that today.

Instead of using my husbands weak points to build him up as I should have, I threw them at him and used them against him. I basically poured salt in an open wound. And I didn't even realize I had done it until after it had happened and I couldn't take my words back.

As his wife I have a responsibility, not to feed his ego but to protect his identity as a man, my husband and the father of my children. As a Christian I am supposed to not try to "get back at someone" for how they hurt me. And I failed.

Our words are so powerful and we have the power to make or break someone by our tongue. And we need to be so very careful what we say to people and how we say it. Once something is said you cant take it back, you can apologize but you can't replace the piece of that person that has been damaged once your words have been spoken.

helping out those in need

Hey everyone.

This holiday season I challenge you to help someone else out. I know, personally, of two families that could use your help this holiday season and beyond this holiday season. A friend and I have created a blog that you can log on to and read a brief summary of these two families, there is also a donate button where you can financially donate to help them out. Please check it out and help someone else out for Christmas and beyond!

Here is the link to the blog to help them out:
http://whenbadthingshappen2goodpeople.blogspot.com/

Thank you all for your generosity and giving spirit this Christmas season! God bless!!!

my. busy. life. & what God thinks about it

So lately I have been feeling like God has been telling me to not be so busy, and I've ignored Him(bad idea to ignore God). I've been working as much as I can, trying to keep the house up and trying to run after 3 kids and volunteering for anything I possibly can to help further the kingdom and I've gotten really frustrated. Business has slowed down, people that I normally help out with haven't asked for much help, my entire family has gotten sick and anything I have tried to do has been interrupted,I'm not exaggerating. My life has/had gotten to the point that I didn't have time to cook, didn't have time to help my daughter with her homework, didn't have time to give my husband the attention that he needs, didn't have time to read the Word. I've felt so rushed and my mind always focused on 4 or more projects at a time that I couldn't focus on whats been going on in my everyday life.

This all hit me pretty hard when our 15month old has had about 4 more teeth come in that I never even noticed. We've been forced to slow down some with kids getting sick, etc, but I've still tried to do what I felt I needed to do, we've gotten so caught up in being busy that that was who we had become - we were busy, I might as well have introduced myself to people that way. And then I read one of my husband's good friend's blog( http://bradpostonline.com/ <--you should check it out) and it hit me in the face again, bringing to mind all the things that have been currently brought to my mind and reminding me that God is NEVER too busy for me and He allowed me to come into existence. Every good and perfect gift is from Him and I haven't been making time for Him, we've even rushed through our bed time ritual with our kids prayer/devotion time, leaving out the devotion but still praying... what are we teaching them? That what we have going on is too important to take a few extra minutes to spend time with them getting them in the Word.

I made the comment to my husband that I felt like we were bad parents, and a lot of times I really feel like that. The main reason for my feelings is because we have been too busy to set the example for them that they need to take time to enjoy things and enjoy God and His Word and His presence in their life. When Mackenzie was Kaeleigh's age she had several scriptures memorized and she was so proud of it and she would talk about God and Jesus and always asked us questions, but Kaeleigh doesn't do that, and really the only thing that has changed has been how busy we are now and how much time we spend talking to them about God, Jesus and the Bible. And especially with Christmas coming up, we need to be taking the time to share with them the true meaning of the season and enjoying the season with them. Time flies by too fast and I want my children to have memories of mom and dad doing things with them and sharing with them and most importantly having time for a meaningful relationship with our Saviour and sharing that with them.

If I have rambled any, I apologize, I'm a rambler and I do it without realizing it. But hopefully something that I have said will be meaningful to someone, even if it's just me and one other person.

Ernest

Ernest is a man my husband and I met after a concert at the Tabernacle in Atlanta on Sunday night. We gave him a few dollars and prayed for him when he stopped us to ask us for help paying for a night at the shelter.

As we were walking out of the concert I looked over and noticed a man in the dumpster and then a lady talking to herself, or maybe she was talking to us but it didn't seem so.

My heart broke.

I can't imagine being so desperate for food or shelter that I had to jump into a dumpster. So many people with so many stories and we just pass them by without a second thought or a second look. Most people would rather ignore their existence than to take a moment to acknowledge that there is a life and that life has a purpose and that life has needs.

God loves Ernest and the others that we saw and didn't see. He loves them just as much as He loves us. "Red, yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world!" A child's song, but it's so true! No matter what differences we have from each other, be it skin color, background, jobs, homes sizes, or even our individual stories... He loves us all the same.

And we are commanded to love each other, to love all of God's children... The greatest commandment is to love. And Jesus also says that what we have done to the least of these we have done to Him. That's my challenge to everyone, and not just to the homeless but to all of God's children - Acknowledge that they are a life that is valuable to God, that they are to be loved and that they are precious in HIS sight! How do you think things would change if we all lived according to God's greatest commands? What can you do differently? Who can you be Jesus to?

Just some food for thought...

Marriage

Following this blog you will find the word "marriage" defined by the Bible and by Webster's Dictionary.

Something that has been on my heart a lot lately has been how society today treats marriage. You can't get married and just one day decide it's not "cutting it for ya" anymore and "break up" - Marriage is work and it's HARD work and it is not something that should be taken lightly, not in the least bit. It nauseates me to see how my generation, ones before and ones after, treat marriage. They/we treat it as something that can be fixed as easily as changing clothes and finding a new pair. Marriage is the model for Christ and the church and it should be treated as seriously as such. Too many people today think that the grass is greener on the other side only to find out that what they had was already God's best for them.

The Bible says "for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and the two shall become one" - How can you divide something that is one? If I have one dollar and I tear it in two, it loses it's value, I can't use one half of it... I have to repair it and make it "one" again... Making it whole. I can tape a dollar back together but you can't tape a marriage together, you have to super glue it together and enter the marriage with a third part, the tie that binds, the superglue that no one can separate, Christ. A cord of three is not easily broken and neither is a marriage that has Christ as the center. Marriage is a sacred covenant made to God and your spouse in front of friends and family and too many people overlook the part about it being a covenant to God.

I have a lot on my heart and my mind about this as you can understand. And maybe as you read through how marriage is defined you will understand more. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly... No commitment to God should be.

Marriage: (definition according to Bible) Was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Genesis 2:18-24). Here we have its original charter, which was confirmed by our Lord, as the basis on which all regulations are to be framed (Matthew 19:4, 5). It is evident that monogamy was the original law of marriage (Matthew 19:5; 1 Corinthians 6:16). This law was violated in after times, when corrupt usages began to be introduced (Genesis 4:19; 6:2). We meet with the prevalence of polygamy and concubinage in the patriarchal age (Genesis 16:1-4; 22:21-24; 28:8, 9; 29:23-30, etc.). Polygamy was acknowledged in the Mosaic law and made the basis of legislation, and continued to be practised all down through the period of Jewish histroy to the Captivity, after which there is no instance of it on record.

It seems to have been the practice from the beginning for fathers to select wives for their sons (Genesis 24:3; 38:6). Sometimes also proposals were initiated by the father of the maiden (Exodus 2:21). The brothers of the maiden were also sometimes consulted (Genesis 24:51; 34:11), but her own consent was not required. The young man was bound to give a price to the father of the maiden (31:15; 34:12; Exodus 22:16, 17; 1 Samuel 18:23, 25; Ruth 4:10; Hosea 3:2) On these patriarchal customs the Mosaic law made no change.

In the pre-Mosaic times, when the proposals were accepted and the marriage price given, the bridegroom could come at once and take away his bride to his own house (Genesis 24:63-67). But in general the marriage was celebrated by a feast in the house of the bride's parents, to which all friends were invited (29:22, 27); and on the day of the marriage the bride, concealed under a thick veil, was conducted to her future husband's home.

Our Lord corrected many false notions then existing on the subject of marriage (Matthew 22:23-30), and placed it as a divine institution on the highest grounds. The apostles state clearly and enforce the nuptial duties of husband and wife (Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18, 19; 1 Peter 3:1-7). Marriage is said to be "honourable" (Hebrews 13:4), and the prohibition of it is noted as one of the Marks of degenerate times (1 Timothy 4:3).

The marriage relation is used to represent the union between God and his people (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:1-14; Hosea 2:9, 20). In the New Testament the same figure is employed in representing the love of Christ to his saints (Ephesians 5:25-27). The Church of the redeemed is the "Bride, the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 19:7-9).

Marriage: (definition according to Websters)] noun
1. State of being husband and wife; "a long and happy marriage"; "God bless this union".
2. Two people who are married to each other; "his second marriage was happier than the first"; "a married couple without love".
3. The act of marrying; the nuptial ceremony; "their marriage was conducted in the chapel".
4. A close and intimate union; "the marriage of music and dance"; "a marriage of ideas".

More Creations... (2008 and older)

This is Kaeleigh's first birthday cake & destroy cake :) (Feb 2006)















This is Kenzie's 5th birthday cake (Jan 2007)

My Creations :)

So I really love to decorate, bake, photograph, sew, paint, draw, sing, write, dance, etc... And I guess that makes me, well, me :). I'm not going to bog you all down in one blog with everything that I love to do... So... I will share them one at a time!

Here are some of my creations this year... Cake Creations that is.

These photos below, from this month, is my little girl, Addison's 1st birthday cake and her "destroy cake"




This is the cake I made for my sister's baby shower in August:


And this is the cake I made for a good friend's baby shower:


I always make my girls birthday cakes and I am sure that I have photos of them all somewhere, but these are just the most recent ones that I have done... And I have to say... They taste pretty yummy! :)

Please support me in the Huntingtons Disease 5k - Atlanta, GA

Hey guys!!

(If you get this twice I apologize in advance) The following link is for the Atlanta Huntington's Disease 5K Run/Walk, October 24, 2009 http://www.firstgiving.com/pamspeace . I am writing to you all to ask for support in this 2nd Annual Event. There are several ways that you can offer support, you can of course donate funds through that link, OR you can participate in the event and join my team though that link, OR you can simply pray for the event and those participating and those affected by HD. I'm terrible at writing to ask for money for fundraisers so I apologize for this being so short and to the point because I have no idea how to sugar coat it.

Huntington's Disease is what my mom had and was the cause of her death. My brother, sisters and I all have a 50/50 chance of carrying the HD gene, which is a dominant gene. I am doing this for my mom, my siblings and my children. HD has affected my family in many ways and my mom gave a lot of time to try to help in testing for a cure and for treatment. My goal is to continue her legacy, that's why I name my team Pam's Peace. Mom had peace in the midst of the storm because her Heavenly Father gave her peace while she battled this horrific disease. Mom never gave up and I'm not going to either... If I have HD and my efforts will benefit my children then they are all worth it, the time, the effort... all of it. That's the mentality my mom had and I'm adopting as my own... And letting the peace that passes all understanding comfort my past hurts from HD as I go the route to do what I can to fight to find a cure for HD and to continue my mom's legacy.

I hope that you will all prayerfully support me, my team and those out there dealing with HD. If you can financially support too, that is awesome, I would love to meet my goal of $5000 towards funding research for HD. Again the link is: http://www.firstgiving.com/pamspeace

Thank you so much!!

Bad Company

I cannot believe it has been since April that I have blogged! Wow! I really am going to try to get better at this...

Okay so something that has been on my mind and heart a lot lately is the modern church and modern day Christians. I don't think everyone really *gets it* to be completely honest.

People were originally called Christians because they followed Christ and were Christ-like. Now days the church and "Christians" are so far from what Christ originally called us to its not even funny. Churches/Christians(C&C) are filled with "cliques" and we try to teach our kids to not leave people out... C&C is filled with judgmental attitudes but we try to teach others to be accepting... C&C are filled with hate but we try to teach others to love.

The Bible teaches that they will know us by our love and by our fruit... But yet we are not loving the least of these. We aren't reaching out to the prostitutes, to the gamblers, to the homeless... Not on the scale that we were commanded to do. We get so comfortable with our friends in our comfy homes that we forget what the others may feel or how they feel. We forget that there is hurt outside our little circle of friends, that we don't dare let anyone new into, unless they "fit in" with the friends that are already there. We talk about the other believers and say things like we can't believe that so-n-so acted a certain way or did a certain thing or has "those" friends.

You want the truth? Jesus would probably not hang out with most of us... He probably would not step foot in to most churches. Why? Because we are following His commands... We are so focused inward and He wants us to be focused outward. Get OUT of your comfort zone! Get out of your cozy circle of friends! Go where the others won't go! Love on the unlovable and unlovely! Why? Because that's what Jesus would do... It's not about a bracelet or a saying, it's about a lifestyle and making changes. Stop saying "I can't believe the friends that she/he keeps" and go be the friend to those, love on them, we ARE the only Jesus that some people see and meet. Love on that single mom, that alcoholic, that gambler, the homeless, the abused, the abuser, the drug dealer, the gangs... They will know us by our love and will be won for Christ by letting HIS love shine through us.

If Jesus walked in todays times most people would not want to be around Him because the company that He would keep and the people He would love on... And didn't He command us to do as He does? To love as He loves? We were, after all created in HIS image.

Ramblings

If you choose to believe the Bible, then you have to believe in all of it, you can't just pick and choose what you like out of it. The Bible is God's unfallible truth. It is never changing and can not be compromised. If God's Word changed then what hope would we have in Him? He would be no different than you or I. 

God's Word is clear and there is not any room for interpretation. God is LOVE and He sent His one and only Son to die for a world of sinners all because He loves us. I couldn't let my child die for anyone, there is no one I love enough to give my childs' life for. I would gladly give my life for my child but I wouldn't give my child's life for anyone. Don't get me wrong I have a deep love for many people in my life, but there is just no one on this earth that I would offer to give my child's life for. If He didn't love us then He wouldn't have sent His Son for us... He loves us with an unfathomable love. 

God loves us regardless of who we are, where we have been, what sin we have fallen into or what others think of us. We aren't to condem or be judgemental of others. We are to love them as Christ loves us and has set the example for us... But we also should not condone, nor support a life of sin. The Bible clearly outlines sin for us to know how we, as believers, should and should not act... And Jesus set the perfect example. While none of us can be perfect, we are to imitate Christ and the life that He led, Paul says imitate me as I imitate Christ. None of us will ever reach perfection, but we should live our lives in such a way that we would not be embarassed if Jesus/God were physically present to be where we are. God sees all and knows all, so He is always with us anyways, but how differently would we behave if we could physically see His presence? Would He be weeping over the our actions that we openly do in front of Him or would He tell us, face to face, well done my good and faithful servant?

Just some food for thought... 

My Best Friend... Besides my Jesus and my hubby...

So I just finished reading through my best friends blog... And I have to brag on her for a minute. She has taking such a stand and is turning her life around and I am so proud of her! She went down the road of drugs, alcohol, Atlanta party scene, etc thinking that was the life. No one could tell her no. She had issues of self esteem, a clearly beautiful woman on the inside and out that doubted her self. I wouldn't say any of this publicly had she not said it herself and realized who she truly is. 

She is all of us. She is beautiful. She is God's princess. And God NEVER wants any of His children to feel that way... But that feeling is all too well known amongst today's females. 

I'm proud of her - She is finding herself again and realizing God in her life again and the purpose that He has for her. I pray that everyone out there going through what she has gone through will realize before its too late that God loves them and that there is more to life than what this world has to offer!

I love you RD!! And I am so proud of you!! 

U S of A

So... According to some speeches as of late, republicans, Christians, etc are to be considered terrorists, extremists, etc... And we are not a "Christian Nation?" I thought that this nation was founded on Christian principles, that our money says "In God we Trust" 

I guess we are radicals if we believe the country should be ran the way it was set up to run... Hopefully this four years fly by!!

It is a beautiful day...

And I would LOVE to be outside running or playing with the girls but I am in a cast and on crutches....

I'm kinda in a "funk" right now, I guess you could call it. God has definitely provided all our needs for us but people have really let me down a lot lately. Strangers, family and friends... More so "friends" though. I've had a hard time with knowing who are true friends are lately and who aren't... Not every one of my friends have made me question this but there are a few. I like to think I'm a good friend, and that I try to be there for everyone when they need someone... But why does it seem that friends come and go like the seasons some times? The ones you could count on yesterday you can't even call today?

I'm thankful that our Heavenly Father is not like that. I love that I can count on my Father yesterday, today and tomorrow... And that He never changes. It's such a great thing to have some one who loves me the same and is there for me the same no matter what.

Can't think of anything life changing for a title...

I have sat and thought about trying to write something that would be life changing but instead I am just going to tell you about my day... as a mommy of 3. 

I was awaken by my 5 1/2month old and 4yr old fussing, on top of my head... Not the best way to start the day. Now enter my hubby with groceries for the week after taking my eldest to school. I let him clean the kitchen and stuff this morning while I worked on pictures from some shoots... Normal run of the mill kinda day for me. My hubby had a lunch date today with our oldest, I had a lunch date with my preganant younger sister, my niece and my middle girl :o). We had a good time... I love my sister. We are so alike in some ways and yet so different in others... I guess it'd be kinda boring if we were exactly alike. 

It was a very pretty day so we went to the park with some friends, another beautiful pregnant friend with her hubby and little girl. And I LOVE that family!! I can honestly say that I love this family like they were my own... God has truly blessed us with some great friends and I am truly grateful for them. 

Karate was today... That was fun. I think my daughter may actually do better if we weren't in there  for her to look at every so often. I think she looks over at us for approval of what she is doing. I am thankful for her goldy karate leaders that love her and are encouraging of her... She is the only one her age that has never been in karate but she loves it and so we will stick with it as long as she does.

Now on to dinner... We got a special invite to a Chick-fil-a "event" at a  location that we frequent... And that my hubby has befriended the ENTIRE staff. It was a lot of fun... There were people from our church and from other parts of our life there. We were unsure of the dress of the event though since it was invite only... My hubby and I were in the front of the car contemplating whether it was "dress up" or not... when from the back seat I hear "if it's dress up then I will just got as a zoo keeper........I think I still have some stuffed animals in the car..."  Our oldest apparently thought that by "dress up" we meant costume dress up... I love my children, they say the best things!!!

Back home to where I get some disturbing news (the out come was alright though) and I learned that my new camera is ON ITS WAY!! It will be here tomorrow!! And I couldn't be more excited!

My day will end with me watching a movie with my hubby and cuddling on our new shag rug that we got for our living room... GOT TO LOVE TARGET!! (pronounced tar-shay ;o) )

Night all... 

Adult Conversation and being a Mother of Three

I never realized how much adult conversation that I miss out on in my daily routine as a wife, mother and work from home-er. 

I was really really itching to get out of the house today. You see we have been passing around what I like to call "the junk" in my house and today I was tired of it... I felt better and was tired of being couped up. Need. To. Get. Out.  So I logged onto my faithful facebook account and lookie here... A friend of mine, whom I haven't gotten to spend much time with lately and lives just around the corner, was online... Who happens to also be a mother of three. After a bit of "chatting" we decided to make a trek to WalMart... At 10:30pm... Well... I just got home. We walked around that whole store for almost four hours and literally just talked. The. Whole. Time. 

IT WAS GREAT!!!

And then as we pull back into my drive way... I realize... How sad is this that the whole time we were there, child free, we looked for things for our children... And spent almost four hours in WalMart "chit chatting" - I was afraid that if we stayed any longer we would have been put to work. 

We did find some great things at WalMart though, things that I have never seen... And I have discovered, too, that apparently the 70's through early 90's have made a huge come back in the line of clothing... I thought there was a reason that those styles, and colors, were retired. Am I wrong??

God is good... All the time...

So this last year has brought about a LOT of change for my family, here you go... in a nut shell:

December 2008, I lost my job right after Christmas and then found out I was pregnant... Losing my job was a little bittersweet though. It was a shock to the system and I had a whirlwind of emotions but had I not lost my job I probably wouldn't have picked my photography back up full time. 

I had a rough pregnancy, my husband ended up out of work with a hurt back and a denied workers comp claim, our heating and air went out over this hot Georgia summer and there were several times we were faced with utilities off and phone calls from our landlord about us having to move out. God is good though. Our children never went hungry, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, God blessed us through our friends and anonymously with payments being made for my family to have a home and utilities still on. There were several times that we thought we were "all miracled out" and God just stepped in and blew us away. 

As humans we get so frustrated with our circumstances and we try to do it all in our selves and take care of the situations that come up. The truth of the matter is, not until we fully rely on God will things get better. Instead of drifting apart my family was able to, only by the grace of God, pull together and stay strong during our storm, one right after the next.  And He has brought us through completely to the other side of the storm. 

Right now things are loooking brighter for my family then they ever really have - and it's all a testiment to God's great love and faithfulness He has for His children. While we aren't "sittin' pretty" by the world's standards we are "sittin' pretty" because of what He has brought us through, because of our Faith, His blessings and the hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Savior.

yeah yeah yeah

So things have been pretty good the last couple weeks... i got some good results from the cardiologist and that made me happy - still trying to figure out everything that has been going on and is causing these weird things and the weakening of my heart but I know it's all in God's hands and there is nothing He can't handle.

We are thinking about moving. My husband's workers comp case is FINALLY over and so we can all breathe a little easier... So we have been looking at houses. Houses where everything works and it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg to stay in :). We have found one that I am pretty much in love with... I'm praying that it's the right one. Hopefully we will know something soon. We don't want to move our girls around but we do want to go where God would have us to go. 

I've been working out... It's going pretty good. Contemplated getting a trainer but I decided that since I know what to do, I was just going to force myself to do it... And now I am incredibly sore, good sign, right? 

My girls... Well they are growing... My middle baby will be four tomorrow and that just breaks my heart! I can't remember her getting this big! Time goes by too fast. She keeps coming to me saying "Mommy, I'm growing already, why?" "Mommy, why did God want me to grow?"  I can't believe that my oldest baby is seven and that my youngest baby is already 5months old. 

I have a lot of friends that are pregnant right now... I sure hope that doesn't mean that I'm next. I like to think that I started the string of pregnancies... Not that I will be ending the string of pregnancies. 

I'm rambling, but isn't that what a blog is for? My mindless rambles? Oh well... I am off to sit and cuddle with my hunnie and get in my Bible for my quiet time. I hope you are too...

Until next time - 

under attack.

It has never been more evident to me than now that the Christian home/family is under attack. Satan is in on the prowl and is going to be sure to use every possible situation and person to attack them and bring them down in hopes to win over another person to "the dark side."

There is no time like the present though to fight these battles and stand up to Satan against his ploys and tactics to destroy families and our love of our God. My family, as well as several of others and you, have noticed and seen these things coming. The church is under attack as well. 

Are we gonna give him what he wants and give in to his vindictive attempts to get us to fail and no longer depend on the God that we know and love? Not my family! And I hope not yours too! Joshua 24:15 states it best "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" - that is my family's motto for 2009 and the rest of the time that God allows us to be on this earth. And if we stick to that and serve the Lord and follow Him and let Him order our footsteps than who should be fearful of? No one... As Romans 8:31-39 states "If God is for us than who can be against us" and doesn't that make you feel safe? To rest in the arms of an allknowing all powerful God who is FOR you even in your times of trials and tribulations? 

Satan is going to through his best at you this new year. Be ready because he's not going to give up. We need to be prepared though and put on the full armor and lift each other up in prayer and hold each other accountable to put the armor on everyday. We are running a race to the finish line, and we need to all plan to finish this race regardless of the hurdles, mud pits, etc that Satan throws in there at us... The "prize" at the end is far more rewarding than giving in to any of his plots against us and if we rely on God during hurdles and mud pits He will bring us through them and the comfort and strength that He will provide us with during the hard times is worth leaning on Him and not giving in. 

I commit to praying for my family, my friends, my church family and our nation as we all are under attack from the evil one. I pray that each of you, myself and my family included, cling closely and tightly to the Father during the attacks, trials and tribulations.

As my Pastor says "Live for Jesus"

What I learned in 2008

I am so glad that 2008 is over. I have learned a lot of stuff that has been beneficial and hurtful in the last year.

I have learned:

*God has a never-ending love and will never let you down

*Good friends are hard to find

*God can work beauty into the darkest of situations

*a good man is hard to find, I'm glad I have one

*my children will love me whether I have good days or bad ones

*people on earth are going to let you down, family, friends, etc. but God places those around you that He has appointed and HE will never let you down.