a season of grace

i feel like i am living in a season of grace. the Lord is teaching me SO much about this topic. mostly about how He is gracious towards me, so i need to be a gracious person. sounds so bland & plain, but it has brought so much depth & truth to my life.

grace is God's unmerited favor. it is a gift from Him. the very breath that we draw is only by the grace of God. so it can easily be said that every thing good in our lives is by His grace. and everything bad happens b/c He allows it to, out of His grace & love. to teach us, grow us, rebuke us, prune us, love us, correct us & show us His perfect will for our lives.

as a mom, i want to show grace to my children. i want to be quick to forgive, quick to love, quick to teach & slow to anger, frustration & criticism. i want my speech, actions, motives & discipline towards them to be seasoned with grace. it shouldn't be a hard thing to do b/c they are so sweet & loving towards me. but some days, it is hard. some days: i discipline out of anger, raise my voice out of frustration & lose my patience b/c i forget that they are little & still learning the right way to behave. but the Lord is always quick to convict me & remind me that i should give them grace. b/c just as it takes Jack several commands before he shares or Jovie several commands before she stops pulling every single wipe out of the box, it takes me several commands from the Lord before i get it. before i repent, learn my lesson & turn to Him.

i am learning to have grace with my husband. instead of allowing my feelings to get hurt so that i become angry or believing the lie that he is too busy for me, i want to have grace. i want to give him the benefit of my doubt. because i know in my heart, that Ben loves the Lord and loves me. he has proven it over & over. so i want to be a wife that is full of grace. i want to be fully supportive, pray without ceasing for him & treat him with respect. the Lord has given me grace time & again for my actions, thoughts & intentions. so, i should show abounding grace to my husband.

i want to have grace with people. i want to love them & serve them as Christ loves me. i want to treat them the same way Christ treats me. i want to forgive every time, withhold bitterness, bite my tongue instead of being brutally blunt, pray for them instead of curse them & be a picture of Jesus when i feel like allowing my flesh to intercede.

i could expound more. get more personal about how i have learned grace with specific people or specific times in my own sinful behavior, but i won't. because this is a blog post & not an autobiography!

so, i will share some of my favorite verses about grace. because His word is so much sweeter than mine.

Psalm 86:6
"give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace."

John 1:16
"and from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

Acts 20:24
"but i do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only i may finish my course and the ministry that i received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

Acts 20:32
"and now i commend you to God and the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Romans 5:20-21
"now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 6:14
"for sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

2 Corinthians 1:12
"for our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so towards you."

2 Corinthians 9:8
"and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

2 Corinthians 12:9
"but he said to me 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness' therefore i will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

praying that the Lord never stops showing me grace & that i learn to have grace with everyone. i want to be slow to anger, patient & loving. i know this is a life long lesson i will face but by His grace, i can do it. day by day.

Blessings Abundant

i am a blessed girl.

i am living on the tightest budget of my life. we are busier now than we have ever been. we have had crazy random & very expensive bills pop up since we moved. i am up to my eye balls in dirty laundry, dirty diapers & chaos. Jack & Jovie both have some crazy gross stomach bug & i haven't slept through the night in 2 weeks. i have no idea why i can't sleep but praise the Lord my kids are sleeping beautifully.

we are stressed out & worn out. we do not get regular date nights. i spend the majority of my time with 2 under 2. Ben is busting his rear trying to finish school & graduate in December. he is constantly having meetings with pastors & families b/c he is trying to raise money & support for our church plant, Revision Church. on the days that he is not at school or in meetings, he is working part-time at his brother's Lenny's sub shop. since our move, our income has decreased by $1600 a month and we have added the expense of rent. i am clipping coupons like crazy & buying used clothes on ebay to save money. i'm also making tutus & trying to sell them on etsy & ebay for a little extra cash. i worry, more than i should, about how we will make it financially until December. i know the Lord is faithful & He always provides. but its hard to keep sight of that right now. i'm just being honest.

Ben & I are confident that the Lord has called me to stay home with our children. we know we are being obedient in this area but it is definitely a sacrifice to the bank account. i am beyond thankful & overjoyed to be home each day with my kids, there is nothing i would rather be doing. but the Lord is definitely using this time to teach us how to trust Him. we, along with the other staff families in our church plant, have stepped out on complete faith in our God. we know that Revision Church is His will for our lives & the city of Olive Branch. we are thrilled to be serving Christ in this capacity but we are all making big sacrifices for this calling. we are seeking the Lord & begging Him for things to work out in His timing & in His way. but to be honest, we are also praying that we get the funding we need so we can survive. starting in January, the men will draw salary from the church plant & the amount depends on the support. we aren't seeking a crazy high salary, but we do need enough to live on. but i know, He is able. i keep telling myself, this crazy crazy budget is only for a couple more months. just make it until December & we will be ok. i know that our stresses don't end when the salary begins but i do feel like we'll have some breathing room at that point. i hate that we have to live off savings right now. but, its not the end of the world.

how can i say that i am blessed when i have just listed so many of our hardships? how can i feel completely content with where we are in life when i feel so stressed by our crazy lifestyle?! i tell you, it is only b/c of Christ. i truly believe that when you follow Him & submit yourself to His will for your life then contentment will abound. He hasn't called us to lavish lifestyles & a swollen bank account. but He has called us to serve, to go, to tell & to love. i have the most wonderful husband. he is a constant leader of our family & a devoted follower of Jesus. my children are crazy awesome. they are the sweetest most precious little creatures & i enjoy every moment with them. they even make me want a 3rd baby!! (but ben says not for another year!!! ha!) we have a wonderful support system in our family & friends. we are working with 3 incredible families in our church plant. we can't imagine walking this road with 3 sweeter couples.

the Lord is good. He is faithful. He is mighty. and He is working. i am humbled that He wants to include me in His plans. He has given me a blessed life. He hasn't promised that i won't have hard days, long weeks or stressful months. He never promised i would have a lot of money & He even called me to give what i have back to Him. but, i have never been more full. i have never had greater joy or a sweeter time with Him. He is teaching me & showing me so much in this time. i am thankful. so very thankful.

i just wanted to record what i am experiencing. i want to look back & remember this hectic but precious time in our lives. i'm sorry if i rambled. but i just wanted to give thanks, publicly to my gracious Father for my abundant life.

John 10:10
"the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

We Got Robbed, Literally

thats right. we got robbed. our home was invaded & our stuff was stolen. sometime between Wednesday night & Thursday night. Ben left the hospital today around 3:45 to head home, wash clothes, exercise & get some stuff together. i got a call at about 4:45 from him. he said "now when i tell you this, i want you to remain as calm as possible. but we got robbed" of course i start saying things like "what?!!" "are you kidding me?" "how?" "what did they take?" and "who would do this?!" and then i began sobbing. it was just so overwhelming.

turns out, they kicked in our front door. then they stole the tv, wii, & playstation from our living room & the tv & dvd player from our bedroom. we think that they also got our camera. b/c of a few certain things, we do know that it was someone who knew we weren't at home b/c we were here. which is infinitely frustrating. what kind of person steals from you like that? i know the stuff is just stuff. we live without it and be just fine. but its the invasion of my home & loss of peace of mind that is terrible. the fact that someone was walking through my house, going through my stuff & taking from me is terrifying. the fact that i must return there next week with 2 small children is terrifying. the thought of ever being home alone, again, is terrifying. our church is so sweet. they are paying to have new security doors installed & an alarm system. and i am thankful for that. trust me. but it doesn't make me feel safer, yet.

besides feeling vulnerable & scared, i am angry. angry that someone would do what they did. angry that they will probably get away with it. angry that now i feel scared in my own home. ridiculous. and of course, this had to happen while i'm on bed rest at the hospital, with Preeclampsia, away from my son & waiting to have my baby.

thank goodness my hubby has a few quirks. he keeps boxes of the things that we buy. he still has the playstation box, wii box & a couple of the others. on those boxes are the serial numbers. the cops now have them. so whenever the idiot that broke into our house tries to resell or pawn our stuff then the serial number will pop up & they should get busted. hopefully. i am now so glad that Ben kept those boxes, all this time i thought they were just a waste of space!

other than finding out we were robbed, it has been a regular hospital day. Dr Williams came to visit this morning. she apologized for the 6 pm surgery time & said she would try to get it moved up for us. she hated that we have to sit here all day & wait. so sweet of her. so, we're on a waiting list, should anyone deliver early or there is another opening. i really hope this happens. but at least i know that its still on Monday, no matter what. Jovie's ultrasound went great. she is still doing so well. i was able to see her sweet face, a little bit, on 4d ultrasound. it was so cute. she is precious & i can't wait to meet her. my mom's sweet friend, Lois, came to visit this morning. she is too funny & can definitely cheer anyone up! we had a good visit together.

and of course, we loved getting to see Jack today. we love that he gets excited & reaches for us when he comes in our room. it makes my day. he had a great time, trying to touch everything & crawling all over the floor. i love to watch him play. i'm so ready to be home with him. (well i'm ready to be with him again, but i don't know about being at home. it just feels weird to go back there right now knowing we've been robbed.)

we're looking forward to the weekend only b/c we know it brings Monday. please keep praying for us. being robbed has only added to our stress level. we know the Lord is in control & His hand is in all things. we can trust Him to deal with the person or persons who robbed us. and we can trust Him to restore our feeling of security in our own home.

here are a few prayer requests:

* Jovie's health & delivery

* Jack

* Ben. i hate that in the middle of being away from Jack & watching me go through this that now he has the stress of dealing with our home being robbed.

* my health & emotions. i am feeling tired, weary, sad, frustrated, excited, angry, scared & anxious.

* that i'll only be on the magnesium for 12 hours

* our parents as they care for our sweet little boy.

we love you & we'll try to keep you updated as much as possible.

Nesting

this has been the word of the week for me. i have been going crazy trying to get our house ready for a new baby. its funny how much i had forgotten what all we needed to have done for a newborn. i've adjusted to life with a 1 year old by now, so i had to alter my thinking a little bit. but thats ok, i was actually excited to organize & clean things up for Jovie girl. Ben has been SO wonderful in helping me out with everything. we have gotten so much done this week & we both feel really good about the hard work & time we've put into making our house more toddler/newborn friendly! its funny how life changes, you gotta roll with the punches. we have come to realize that we are "that" family. we have (almost) 2 kids, a dog, a budget and a house taken over by toys & diapers!! but we are loving every single second of it. we are learning to get used to toys all over the floor & tupperware strewn about our house!

here are a few things we have done to prepare for Jovie & to declutter (is that a word?!) our home:

* we completely rearranged our living room. we have switched out the couches & pushed them back up against the wall. we have moved the tv back into the corner to give us more floor space. & we have moved the coffee table completely out of the room so that Jack can have all the floor space to play. we've moved the end tables & placed Jovie's swing in the corner, safely tucked away from all the action!

* we have moved the pack n play & cleaned it out. we have stocked it with newborn diapers & wipes & laid out a blanket & wedge for Jovie to use. this will become her bed in the living room, safe from Jack & Lola!

* we went to target yesterday & bought a TON of stuff to help us get organized. we bought a huge nice toy hamper to hold Jack & Jovie's toys & a basket for the living room to hold diapers & wipes. we bought a basket & a rolling rubbermaid 3 drawer bin to hold our many dvds. we have now tucked those away in a closet. we bought 5 rubbermaid 20 gallon bins to load up a bunch of clothes & junk to put up in the attic. we got a long rubbermaid bin to hold shoes for under the bed & we even bought some space bags for seasonal clothing.

* we purchased a new desk for ben to put in the kitchen. he has to move out of the office b/c Jack will using that as his big boy room in a few months. so ben set up the desk & cleaned out all of his stuff from the guest room. he now has a little corner in the kitchen that is just for him to use as office space.

* we cleaned, dusted & vacuumed the living room. i even cleaned the curtains.

* i went through Jack's toys & clothes & some of our stuff to make a pile for goodwill.

* Jack & Jovie's room is cleaned out & the closet & dresser are organized, waiting for Jovie. they will be sharing closet & dresser space for the first few months. just until we move Jack into his new room.

* i've cleaned Jovie's car seat & packed her diaper bag for the hospital. i've even washed all her clothes & put them away.

* i used some baskets to hold our bed sheets & linens for our big hall closet. it looks so much more organized. thank goodness!

we have been so busy trying to nest our little home, so that it is completely toddler & baby friendly. we love how everything has turned out & we feel so good about all of our hard work. we still have a couple closets to clean out & the laundry room needs to be reorganized BUT we are ready for a new baby. spring cleaning has hit our house a little early this year, but we are thrilled about it!

we can't wait to bring little Jovie home from the hospital & settle into life as a family of four!!

New Year's Resolutions

i'm not sure i have one exact resolution for 2010. but then again, i don't think i've ever had a real new year's resolution. i do, however, have a few reasonable goals for this year. i believe they are pretty attainable, with some grace from the Lord. so here they are, in (mostly) random order:

1. be a more attentive wife, with more of a servant's heart

2. be a patient, sacrificial & godly mom to Jack & Jovie

3. be a prayer warrior for my friends

4. spend more time with the girls in our youth group

5. dive deeper into God's word & memorize scripture

6. when that baby weight (from Jovie) starts coming off, KEEP IT OFF!!!

7. get outside, away from the tv, in the summer & play with my kids

8. beginning now, start saving each month, for a reasonable Christmas budget

9. save money every month for a house (for whenever we need to buy one)

10. try to take a little time for myself, each week, to relax or rest so that i can be a better wife & mom

what are your goals for this year? may the Lord bless you & give you strength to reach them. happy new year!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is finally here!! in just 3 days we will be celebrating the Savior & enjoying the greatest holiday, EVER!!! i can not wait. every year, i enjoy Christmas more & more. i've gotten over the hype of gifts & just enjoyed time with family, my new husband and now my little boy. next year will be even better b/c i will have 2 precious kids to enjoy at Christmas. pure bliss!!!

i wanted to share a few pictures of our holiday season thus far. there are many more, but i'm sure no one wants to look at 50+ pictures. so, i'll share just a few!

first time to play with an ornament!!

he LOVED it!!!

enjoying a Santa sugar cookie!

observing the tree, but never touching it!

"Praise the Lord," its Christmas!!!

fun in his Christmas jammies

such a cutie!

learning to use his walk-n-ride toy

he LOVES it!

we have had so much fun this year. having a child really enhances the Christmas experience, i wish everyone could share in the joy of children during the holidays. i am so blessed to be a mom & get to watch Jack enjoy life.

we are headed to Zoo Lights tonight & i can't wait. i know Jack will just love it. i'll be sure to take some pics of that too. i'm taking a break from blogging until after Christmas. i want to be sure to spend all of my time with Ben & Jack. i'll be back after Christmas with pictures & posts about our holiday together.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!!!!

90 to nothing

i have SO much on my mind lately. its insane. i am battling, in my spirit, the urge to be negative & assume the worst. but i am overwhelmed with the Peace that passes ALL understanding. i can praise Him for His grace in my life. Jesus has literally been my sanity the past week. here are a few things swimming around in my brain, as of late.

* i sure do love Jack. more & more every minute

* i am blessed, beyond belief, with the most supportive & understanding husband

* pregnancy is a sweet blessing, but i'm ready to have my body back

* i wonder what Jovie looks like

* i wonder if i'll be able to nurse Jovie as well as i nursed Jack

* PLEASE PLEASE Lord, let me pass my 3 hour glucose tolerance test on Wednesday!!!!!

* i don't want to have diabetes & high blood pressure

* diabetes can greatly affect blood pressure. awesome.

* i wonder if i'll be able to carry Jovie to 39 weeks. i doubt it. something tells me i won't.

* i want Jovie to be healthy & spend no time in the NICU

* i'm not looking forward to the IV i'll be getting in a few weeks

* i'm really not looking forward to being so sore after my c-section

* i can't wait to have a tiny, sweet baby again!!

* PLEASE PLEASE Lord, let me pass my 3 hour glucose test on Wednesday!!!

* I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

* i can't wait for my anniversary date with my hubby on Friday

* the Lord has always taken care of me

* i have 2 more christmas presents i need to get

* i love wrapping christmas presents

* i'm craving some pasta, like nobody's business

* i hate this gestational diabetes diet i have to be on before this stupid test

* i love our christmas tree

* peopleofwalmart.com is absolutely hilarious

* i want to see my sisters soon, and my friend Brittany

* PLEASE PLEASE Lord, let me pass that test!!

* i can always trust His hand & His gentle voice

* i am blessed. so very undeservedly blessed.

Exhaustion

i really hope that everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving with family. i know we sure did. much to my dismay, i didn't take a single picture over the weekend. i just kept forgetting my camera. uggh. i hate that. but i'll be sure to take a bunch for the month of December to make it up.

i am going to post about our thanksgiving, putting up our tree with Jack (he's actually been surprisingly great about not touching it) and some pregnancy stuff. but right now i'm feeling burned out & completely exhausted.

the main reason i'm so tired, besides being 7 months pregnant & chasing my 13 month old all day, is that i've had a gross annoying cough for 4 weeks now. it started out as an annoying little cough & over time it has progressed & gotten worse. i can not sleep at night, i wake up more tired than when i went to bed & i'm coughing every 2 minutes. its one of those gross productive coughs. i really haven't been feeling bad, just coughing. but this morning i woke up just feeling crummy. my nose is running, i feel pressure in my head, my head aches & every time i breathe i can feel all the crud in my chest. awesome. my mom & mother-in-law have been so sweet & taken Jack a few times so i can "sleep" or "sleep in" but i have no such luck.

we are busy bees around here. December is now upon us, and all the hustle & bustle has already begun. we have much to celebrate. ben's birthday, christmas & our wedding anniversary all take place in December. sheesh. talk about busy. we love this time of year & we're really excited about doing fun things with Jack & celebrating our Savior. but we also have to start thinking about Jovie & my blood pressure. i'm now at the stage of going to the doctor every 2 weeks & if at any point my BP is high, she will put me in the hospital for a 24 hour urine analysis and then i'll be put on bed rest. and if that happens, everything stops for us. i could even be hospitalized for the remainder of this pregnancy. which would be insane. so we're trying to go ahead & get ready for little girl to show up. the car seat is going in the car in a couple weeks & i'm packing a bag for both Jovie & Jack, that i can keep in the car, in case i need it in the next 6 weeks. i constantly feel the need to have my house clean in case i'm suddenly unable to do anything so that if anyone comes over here to help or pick things up for me, my house doesn't look like a war zone.

have you ever just felt so behind on house work that you could just cry?!! well, i'm at that point. i'm seriously like 4 weeks behind. i mean, i do some picking up & laundry every day but i've just been so tired & physically worn out every day that all i can do is just crawl into bed. i rush around like crazy while Jack is napping or goes to bed at night to try & get a few things done. but it never seems like enough time to accomplish all i want to get done. and i just don't have the energy to stay up until 2 am to clean my house. i really wish i did. i do have a very sweet helpful hubby who gets some things done, but our house is out of control. and even he doesn't know where to begin. and for those of you who may be thinking "just get some stuff done while Jack is awake & playing" you obviously don't have a toddler. no offense, but just taking care of my kid is a completely full time job. not to mention i do work 2 days a week, where i'm out of our home & keeping 2 other little kids. so those 2 days i get nothing done around our house. we've decided that doing Jovie's nursery & creating a big boy room for Jack are just going to have to wait until after she is born. we just don't have the time right now. a few months ago this thought would've highly annoyed me, but now, i'm completely ok with it. Jack won't be moving out of his crib until Jovie is ready to move into it & that won't be until she is at least 3 months old. so, its not just not a priority for me right now.

ok. i'm done & off my soap box. but can you see, a little bit, about how overwhelmed & truly exhausted i am?! i mean, good gravy. i have 9.5 weeks until my little girl gets here & in the middle of all that, Christmas. and life. everyone keeps telling me not to stress or not to be so tired b/c that could cause my BP to get haywire. but just how am i supposed to do that?! o well. i know it will all get done somehow & i'll look back on all of this one day and laugh. right?! i really hope so!

have a happy Sunday everyone. and Happy Holidays. revel in the craziness & try to get some rest. if you can't, just come clean my house!!!

Target Giftacular!!!

raise your hand if you LOVE Target!!! ok. that should be everyone. i could seriously spend gobs of cash in there. definitely my favorite store. so when i saw this on Freebies 4 Mom, i got soo excited. its a Target 2 Day Sale Giftacular Sweeps. there are 1,570 gift card winners with 1,000 of those being $25 gift cards. um, yes please! you can play daily for 5 days, with Thanksgiving being the last day to play. there are consolation prizes being given out, in case you don't win one of the gift cards. **TIP** when you get to the play screen, click on the "No Webcam" link at the bottom left of the screen. it allows you to play the game manually. then you will pick a "gift" and unwrap it. it will then take you to a screen to enter your info (so they can keep track with how many times per day you play; your only allowed to play once) after you enter your info it will lead you to unwrap your gift.

technically, each person can only play once per day until thanksgiving. however, since me & my hubs both have separate email addresses, we each played. (ok, i played for him!!) which essentially allowed us to play a total of 2 times! i just entered his info & it worked even though we have the same address. (duh!)

i would definitely head on over there & check it out. it takes about 5 minutes & if you win a gift card its totally worth it. plus, since i told you about this, i expect you to use it to buy me something pretty. ok, i'm kidding. happy playing, hope you win!! but not before me!

if for some reason you have trouble getting to the play screen, just go to Target's website, i believe its accessible from there!!

Thankful

thanksgiving is only days away & i'm so excited. christmas is no doubt my very favorite holiday, but i really do appreciate thanksgiving & what it is all about. i know that the Lord has blessed me with so much & i never want to take any of it for granted. i am living my dream life & so i want to stop & take some time to Praise the Lord for His many blessings!!

Today, i am thankful for:

* my amazing & loving husband

* my sweet sweet little boy

* a healthy pregnancy & a beautiful little Jovie girl growing inside me

* a warm house with plenty of food & clothing

* a large & fun filled family

* a new (to us) minivan that is safe with plenty of room for our growing family

* a church family that loves us so much

* our health

* the holiday season & knowing the truth about why we celebrate

* being able to be a stay at home mom to Jack

* a part time babysitting job that allows Jack to go with me

* learning how to coupon so that we can save some money

* Dr Williams, my amazing OBGYN.

* Dr Bubba, Jack's excellent pediatrician that provides sanity for Ben & I!

* health insurance

* pregnancy cravings, it gives me a great excuse to indulge every now & then!!

* a healthy pregnancy weight. i've only gained 7 lbs so far with Jovie! 6 lbs the first 16 weeks & only 1 lb in the past 12 weeks!! whooop!

* a Lord & savior that loves me enough to correct me & gently guide me back to Him whenever i stray & who is always faithful to provide for us

there are many other things i am thankful for, but i'll list those another day. what are you thankful this holiday season?!

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son & Holy Ghost!!!"

BIG Vera Bradley Sale!!!

who doesn't love Vera Bradley?! i know i do!! but most of the time, its too expensive for me. but right now Vera Bradley is running a HUGE sale. plus if you enter the code 10offsale at checkout, you can get an additional 10% off, making some items just $10!!! i found out about this sale through Frugal Coupon Living (get her link on right side of my blog) a blog i absolutely love!! to check out everything on sale, go HERE

here is the Vera Bradley Hannah bag. it's regularly priced at $45. on sale for $12. and with the 10ffsale code, it comes down to $10.80!! now that is a deal!!

and here is the Tic Tac Tote (small). its originally priced at $55, on sale now for $19 but with the 10offsale code you can get it for $17.10. super cute.

i really want to pick one of these up for myself since they are so super cheap. but i think i'll use the money to get one as a christmas gift for someone. but i can't say who that will be!! :) so you should probably head on over & do some shopping!! don't you just love a good excuse to spend some money?!!

FREE christmas address labels

i'm all about some freebies!! i love reading the 30dollarweeklygrocerychallenge.blogspot.com she is amazing. she seriously only spends $30 a week on her grocery & personal item needs. she is always talking about great coupon deals & freebies. if you haven't read her blog, you really should check her out!! my friend, brittany, (jobandbrittany.blogspot.com). for some reason my link button isn't working right!! got me hooked on it. she & i are coupon junkies. but thats another post!!

one of Kathy's ($30 challenge) recent blog posts was about getting some free christmas address labels. i'm all about some christmas!! and i don't have any labels & you can't beat free!!! so today, i followed her link & got me 140 free cutie pie christmas labels! you do have to pay $3 for shipping, but who cares!! you can personalize the labels by choosing your own font, size & color. head on over & check it out!! you can read the specific post about christmas labels by clicking HERE. but hurry b/c this offer doesn't last much longer!

here's a tip. when you get to the website for the labels. click on return address labels. then once the page loads a search bar should pop up. just type in christmas & it will pull up tons of designs. have fun!

I am Blessed

nothing spectacular. nothing fabulous. nothing extraordinary. nothing exciting. this describes my life lately. church, lunch, naps, coupons, play, cook: all things i've done lately. but i'm just feeling so blessed & so fortunate & so content with life.

over & over again the Lord has so graciously showed me how blessed i am to be His. He has met EVERY one of our needs & then some. He is always good, always faithful, always long-suffering with me. He has fulfilled all of my dreams & i am living in a bubble of happiness. things are NOT perfect, not easy, we're not rolling in the cash & we certainly have stresses to deal with everyday but i am learning more & more about what it means to be thankful. i have been trying, everyday, to praise the Lord for all He has given me. i am especially thankful that we are all healthy.

i have come across story after story, blog after blog of people who are grieving & hurting or dealing with disease or death in their immediate families. we live in a broken world. i do not know or understand why the Lord has chosen to bless my family with good health, but i do not challenge Him or His blessings. its been hard for me to comprehend why i am so blessed but there are others, everywhere, who are hurting so much. i have felt so unworthy & humbled by His grace in my life. but i do know this: He is sovereign. i am no better or more deserving of His blessing than those who are hurting & He has blessed them with things that i might not ever receive but i am trying to be content with what i have.

i have an incredibly supportive & loving husband, a sweet energetic & fun little boy & i'm expecting a precious baby girl in less than 3 months. life is good for me. we are on a super tight budget & we don't have a lot of room in our house but thats just fine with me. i will take good health & a happy family over those things any day of the week.

i am enjoying every single second of motherhood. i really am. its the hardest job i've ever had but its just so rewarding & so worth it. i want to soak in every minute of Jack's life at every stage that he's in. i never want to look back on his childhood & wish that i had done more with him. i'm learning to put off house cleaning, computer time or things for myself so that i can spend time with Jack. those things can wait until he's napping or in bed for the night. i want to put his needs first & i want him to remember our play times together instead of him feeling ignored. when Jovie gets here, i know i might be stretched a little thin, but i'm ok with that. i'm so excited to have 2 kids. i'm looking forward to all the wonderful memories we will make with them. i know parenting is hard & there will be times that i want to pull my hair out but the Lord is here to guide us & help us to lead Jack & Jovie according to His will. Ben is an excellent husband & the Lord continues to remind me of how perfect ben is for me. my husband has been such a blessing & teaching tool in my life & he is the best dad to Jack, ever.

i really didn't mean for this to be a sappy cheesy post, i just wanted to sit down & keep a record of how thankful i am. i want to be able to look back on this & be encouraged on the days that i feel frustrated or defeated. Thank you Lord for what you have given me, help me to always be thankful for your hand in my life & may i never be ungrateful or discontented with what i have or the people in my life. Blessed by your name.

"Oh taste & see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"

Psalm 34:8

Britax Giveaway!!!

i wanted to post about an amazing giveaway!!! i follow & read, frugalcouponliving.com all the time. she is having a giveaway for a FREE Britax Marathon or Britax Roundabout 50. there are 9 different ways to enter & win!!!

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win this car seat. we have one Britax Roundabout, that we use for Jack. but i would LOVE to win this one b/c Jovie will be here soon & since they are so close in age (15 months) it would be so nice for us to have another one.

if you don't have a Britax car seat, you should get one. we absolutely love ours!!! and if you don't read or follow frugalcouponliving.com you really should! she is constantly posting about store deals, coupons, freebies, giveaways & a ton of other helpful stuff!! go here & check her out!!! and go HERE to enter the giveaway!!!

Jack's New Old Toy

remember this?! i certainly do. Jack got one on friday, from target. ben & i were there with his mom, and of course we end up in the toy aisle. she saw this & just had to get it for Jack. she said it was his 11 month old birthday/i'm gonna have a little sister present!! i couldn't believe it when i saw it. i used to have this exact same toy!!! fisher price is bringing back some vintage toys from back in the day. they have rereleased them & are selling them in stores. i thought it was so neat. there were several other toys there that i recognized. i just thought it was neat that he now has a toy that i used to play with!! he loves it, even though he hasn't quite figured it out yet!!

it brought back some fun memories for me!!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR SARA

i stumbled upon a blog last night. someone left me a comment on my last post telling me i should go to this site & pray for this family immediately. of course, i went to the blog. i read back to the beginning. it is the story of the Sullivan family.

brady & sara sullivan are a young couple. Sara found a lump in her breast & was later diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. (it has a specific name but i can't remember it). during her testing & biopsy process the doctors discovered that she was pregnant. she delivered their baby girl, chloe grace, 2 weeks ago. chloe was over 6 weeks premature. they had recently brought chloe home from the hospital when sara had a seizure. she was admitted to the hospital where she has been watched closely. i can't remember every single detail. i know she has been in a drug induced coma so the doctors could test her without causing more seizures. last night, her hubby brady, posted that the doctors believe sara is now brain dead. you can go to their blog: bandssullivan.blogspot.com to read all about her story & her condition. the last post from brady was last night & he said that the doctors were going to do a few more tests but if there was no improvement today then they would officially declare her brain dead & take her off of life support. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray that God would do a miracle & sara would recover. i can't imagine what brady must be going through. his young wife is dying and he has a newborn baby at home. he needs the peace of Christ right now. we know we serve a BIG God who is able to move & work in the life of this sweet family.

please pray for them & thank the Lord for health that you enjoy. you can click on her button on the right hand side of my blog and it will take you to her husband's blog. thank you.

Super Sippie

if its possible to be in love with an inanimate object, i am. just a little. i found a great baby product & i just wanted to share the love.

Jack does great with sippie cups. he loves them. gets super excited when we bring them out. he loves to play with it just as much as he loves to drink from it. but every single sippie cup would just leak the second he turned it over. so we would be left with a soaking wet baby, faulty "no drip sippie cup" and a sticky wet mess to clean up. i tried 4 different cups. 4. same result with every single one. so i got on facebook & asked some fellow moms what cup they use. my friend, leslie, just raved & raved about this cup that she found for her son. so i figured if she loves it this much, i should really give it a whirl. and i'm so glad i did.

its the gerber nuk learner cup. it has a soft spout, handles & best of all: it does NOT drip. which i love. i paid $5.64 for the cup, a little more than i paid for the others. but it was soo worth it. i plan on picking up 2 or 3 more this week. so, if you're in the market for a super sippie cup, bite the bullet, pay $5 and get this cup. (maybe, if i send this post to gerber they would be so nice as to send me a free cup?!!) owell, i can dream!

Help me, please!!!

ok. so Jack's 1st birthday party is 6 weeks away!!! AAAAAAAAGGHHHHH. i have done very little to prepare myself. i've come up with the theme & picked up a few decorations. i've pretty much decided about the food & the guest list. i've even come up with a few little creative ideas, which is hard for me! but i need your help. i've never thrown a birthday party for a 1 year old. i've thrown baby showers, wedding showers & had dinner parties but a child's birthday party is a whole other ball game.

i need any tips/suggestions/do's/don'ts that you can pass my way. if you've thrown a 1st birthday party or just a child's party in general then please give me any advice you can. what worked for you? what is a big no no? what would you do differently? what should i look to spend? how much is too much for a 1st birthday cake? i want to spend the day enjoying Jack & celebrating the blessing of his 1st year of life. i don't want to feel frazzled, stressed or irritated. i'm not trying to break the bank with this party. i've picked up a few decorations off the $1 aisle at target and i'm ordering the personalized invites (super cute!) off of etsy for $15.

let me share my ideas with you so that you can get a feel for what i'm wanting to do.

*date: october 24th @ 5 p.m. at my mom's

*theme: fall

(i'm thinking i'll decorate with pumpkins, use the colors orange & brown, and any little fall decor i can scrounge up)

*food: hamburgers, chips & dip, cake & ice cream

this is the cake that i would LOVE to have for the adults (i'll make Jack a little cake for him to dive into!) anyone know of a good cake baker? i'm wondering how much this cake would cost me?!! if its too much i'm thinking i'll pick something different. but ever since i saw this, i wanted it! (of course, i'll change the 2 to 1 & change the name!)

*party ideas: i'm thinking of picking up some pumpkins & every family can carve their own pumpkin for halloween. is that cheesy or does that sound fun?!

*Jack: what to dress him in?! i've thought of ordering a cute little birthday shirt of off etsy with his name monogrammed on it. i found a few that are inexpensive. i know the early years are just about the only time i have a real say in the party theme & Jack's clothes. one day, he'll want his own thing!

my plan is to hit up hobby lobby soon & see what i can find for cheap. since i'm decorating with fall decor & pumpkins, anything i buy can be reused at my home. yay!! plus, it gives me a good excuse to go shopping!!! any suggestions on cute, cheap fall decor?! i have a few ideas myself but i would LOVE to hear from you. i have some very creative friends & family members. just check out their blogs & you can see for yourself!!

i really would appreciate any help you can give me. i'll do a post about his party once we have it & i'm even planning on doing my own do & don't list for kids parties. thanks ya'll!!

In Christ Alone

Lately, i've really been thinking about this song. i don't know why. its just been playing in my head over and over. i love it. i love the lyrics and the truth that stands behind it. i'm so thankful for the hope & promise that I find in Christ. i don't know where i would be without Him. In Christ Alone, truly is the best & safest place to be. Praise the Lord for His grace. It's such a humbling song. I just wanted to share it.




In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

My New Signature

i'm so excited!! i just figured out how to create a signature for my blog!! yay!! thanks to the sneaky momma blog i was able to use her directions. if you want to do it yourself go to her website. look on the left hand side of the page and click on "signatures" she will give a recommended website and instructions on how to do it! i'm so grateful for this blog!! i'm gonna use it to figure some more fun stuff out!!! thanks sneaky momma!!!!! have a great day!