Time With God...

I want more. But somehow I let everything else come before my time with Him. I don't know why it isn't a more natural priority for me. I always talk to Him off and on all day...almost every night...but I want to start my day with Him. I need to. And I will. 

I'm taking steps to be more organized. To clean on a bit of a schedule so that I know things that need to get done will, rather than being put off until "later" (we all know that "later" can easily turn into "not get done at all today"). Surely if I can work on this, I can make time for Him.

I have never even read through the entire New Testament (in order)...and right now I'm supposed to be doing this with my parents and siblings. I haven't even started. See? I don't know what it is...but I need to get on it. 

I know I'm not the only one, but I sure do spend a lot of time in prayer and study when things are rough. I don't want to just spend time with Him and in His word when I feel like I need it. And really, I need it ALL the time. It's just that when my heart is hurting, or I know that a situation is so big that only He can handle it...that's when I can't help but go to Him. 

I can't bring myself to wake up before everyone else and in the quiet of morning have my devo time. I would love to do it in peace, but what can I say? I need my rest (and with Madelyn waking up off and on throughout the nights lately, I really do need it). 

There are really no excuses, though. I could take 5 minutes, or 30 minutes, or whatever it might be and fit in a few verses and a prayer. The verse (and song) just came to mind that says,

 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness."

Every day is a new day and it's never too late to begin anew! To start a habit. How long do they say it takes to form a habit? (Yes, I'm Googling it.) It seems the most popular answer is "an average of 66 days". So...about two months, give or take. That seems like a long time to me. Haha But surely I can do it! 

And now, to get this day going. So much to do...and with a fussy child and a tired momma! Ah, the joys of motherhood. :-) At least with Him as my Father, I know that all things are possible! Even something as simple as getting the house clean when I'm tired. ;-)

Blaaaahhhhh.....Ramblings of a Boring Pregnant Lady.

Yeah, that's how I feel this morning. It's no fun feeling hungry and nauseous at the same time. But, it's not tooo bad so I'm okay with it. :-)

The blah also goes for blogging lately. I'm just not into it. It just re-affirms the fact that I. am. boring. Whatev. Nothing to write about. And though I love the what? Maybe three people that read my blog...sometimes it just doesn't feel worth my time. 

Maybe soon I'll have interesting things to say based on, oh...pregnancy, homeschooling, and a new house. ;-) I can get a little excited about that!

The past few days my moods go something like this:

...And the change happens in about 2 seconds flat. Haha You know they're crazy when you're reading this book to your daughter...

...and you have to try not to cry the whole time. Oh me, oh my!

Anyway, so yeah...not too much to say these days. I need to start packing up our house, but my dear hubby hasn't brought me any boxes yet. He needs to get on that asap.

Until next time...

Just What My Soul Needs.....

Yesterday I was feeling down in the morning, so I decided to listen to one of my favorite worship songs. That led to listening to many of my favorite, most encouraging and uplifting worship songs. It does my soul good. So here I am listening again, to give my soul a lift and get me up and off my rear so I can (in good spirits) do all of the things I need to do before my oh-so-busy weekend. 

I wasn't going to blog today. I haven't really felt like there was any point lately. But I decided that I would just share these songs with anyone who might read this.

'Mighty To Save'

 

'Our God Is Greater'

 

'Who Am I'

'Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)'

'How Great Is Our God'

'This Is My Desire'

Be encouraged and have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Stuck at 22!!!!! + Funniest Pics Ever = Post Worth Reading ;-)

And it's getting on my nerves! Someone, PLEASE help me get away from this number! For one thing, I hate even numbers...I don't know why, but I do! Plus, after I gained a couple of new followers it just stopped, at this dreaded number...22. I just need one person who reads this to click that little "follow" button and take be to 23! Pleeeaaassseee...

And now for a random, funny little story. My Madelyn decided yesterday that she would wake up somewhere between 5 and 6 in the a.m. Not cool. I knew she would be exhausted later in the day and was hoping for a nap so that I could also rest my own weary eyes. Lunch time rolls around and she's sitting on the couch, watching Caillou and eating. It's awfully quiet so I look over at her and this is what I see:

Upon closer inspection I notice this:

Hilarious, right? I pulled the whole carrot out of her mouth and let her doze away. Of course by the time I thought "hey, I could take a little nap" I realized that I would have to leave in 30 minutes to get Emily from school, so what was the point? Bummer. But these pictures were totally worth it. Hehe

Now, follow me and I'll love you forever! ;-) Really.

Marriage Monday...+ 1

So we just recently found out that we will be adding another little one to our family! Yup, we're gonna be a family of 5. Yay! I am super excited!!! It somehow managed to get out a little more than I'd intended so soon, but hey...it's a good thing I'm pretty laid back about stuff like that! 

Michael and I are both really happy and of course will be hoping and praying for a boy, but will feel happy and blessed with whatever God gives us! I'm still expecting y'all to do a lot of this, though: 

But like I said, we will be happy either way. Healthy is always most important, and I know that whatever we get (even gender aside), will be what is in His plan for us.

I love that my hubby and I both love kiddos and want a (sorta) big family :-) I love the idea of a family of 5 (I have a "thing" for odd numbers). I'm just excited! I am already a little sore and achy...but I don't mind even a little bit! 

I'd appreciate all the prayers you're willing to offer! And if you read this, then you're special. I would still ask that no one post on my personal FB page about it. Family of course knows, a lot of church friends and a few important others. However, I don't feel the need to have all of the randoms of FB knowing yet. So if you're a FB friend and one if the sweet ones that actually follows my blog...shhhh! Thanks :-)

Very Ispiring Blog Awarded? Truly Flattered.

Seriously? This means a LOT to me. I mean, of all the things I could think of being, this one is certainly up there. I don't think of myself as inspiring, but I would like to be able to. Anyway...I HAVE to thank snipewife for nominating me. So...thank you so much! And now here's what I've gotta do:

The rules to the Very Inspiring Blogger Award are as follows:|

    Display the Nomination logo on your blog     Link back to the person who nominated you     State 7 things about yourself     Nominate 15 others and link to them     Notify those bloggers of the nominations & award requirements

This logo is a pretty cool one, huh? Well...I like it, anyway. Now, guess I'll get started!

7 Things about Me:

1. I grew up as a MK (missionary kid) and a PK (preacher's kid) and I loved it! 

2. Lived in Nigeria for 5 years of my life and it was one of the best times of my life. I haven't been back in a long time, but it's still my second home.

3. I LOVE food! I will try pretty much anything once and I love ethnic food, especially spicy stuff!

4. I am an avid reader! I like just about anything except cheesy romance novels (though I do read Christian romance) and science fiction.

5. I think my girls are probably the most beautiful girls. Ever. Well, they are! ;-)

6. One of my biggest dreams is to live on (or very close to) the beach someday(preferably the East coast, island, or another country).

7. I think that I have a very boring personality.

Okay, now I don't know that I can come up with 15 blogs that I think are inspirational...I barely follow that many! Haha But I will link to the ones that I follow that are inspiring to me. :-) In no particular order...

~ I didn't see a button for this girl, but here's her link: Living Deliberately

This girl lives almost exactly as I imagine I would be if I weren't married and didn't have my girlies. I live a bit vicariously through her blog...but she probably doesn't know that ;-)

~ Okay, I was going to put this one's button on here, but I don't know how :-( So I'll just put a link to  her page. Sweet and Wild
Her love story is what grabbed me first on her blog...I loved reading it and all about her wedding these past few days. Her story is inspiring and she is such a beautiful, sweet girl! You'll love her.

~ I know this girl from outside of the blogging world. There are two amazing things about her that I'll say...she appears to be an amazing cook (and especially baker, and I say appears because I haven't actually tasted any of her food). Speaking of which, Kayla...*ahem*. Most importantly, this girl is an incredible mommy to her 3 sweet girls! And she's just such a sweetheart, I love her! Here are her two blogs (one is personal, one is for FOOD): Super Mom of 3 Princesses & A Chick Who Can Cook

~ This here is who inspired me to get back into blogging! I really started following her and watching her put effort into her blog and it made me want to get mine back up and going again. She has been and still is a HUGE help to me when I need it! Thank you, sweetie! She's also just such a sweet girl and I love reading the things she writes about. :-) Between Two Rams

~ This is one of my BEST PALS in real life. Been friends since we were kids. She's awesome, super funny and has the most hilarious hooligans you'll ever "meet"! Not to mention they are adorable! This is by far one of the BEST blogs I follow (so good I even followed it when I wasn't blogging). Bunch of Barrons

~ This girl is "simply" inspiring to me because she is a woman after God's own heart. She challenges me to be better. Simply Helping Him

~ And here: The Bradley's First of all, she has one of the best looking blogs I've ever laid eyes on. She's also one of the most stunning brides I've ever seen. Her family's life is an adventure, she writes beautifully, and she's another one that I live a bit vicariously through her blog. I love her life, her style of living, the way she's raising her daughter, her relationship with her husband...she's just inspiring!

This here girl is sooo gorgeous! And she just radiates happiness (at least to me). I've just really enjoyed everything that I've read that she's written. I love her style of writing, it's so touching. I think there's been something in every post so far that has touched home with me somehow. Here's her blog: We & Serendipity (I have to admit that I was first drawn to her blog simply because of the title of it...I LOVE the movie "Serendipity"!)

And last but not least, a girl that I love! Someone that I met online but became a real life friend! This girl has taken on so much recently. You can read about it here: The Book of Lou Lou She has always been an inspiration to me, seriously...she's amazing! I admire her so much. She has an amazing family. She is an incredible wife and mommy. And she's just awesome.

I actually have a couple more than I could add to this list, but I didn't know I'd end up writing a little mushy paragraph about everyone (even the girls that probably don't know who I am)! Plus, these here have more active blogs. Now I just have to get around to letting them all know about this! Hope they take the time to hop over and read this and pass it on!

Thank you all for INSPIRING me! ♥ ♥ ♥

We're Following the Leader, the Leader, the Leader...

So I was just wondering...what determines who you choose to "follow"
' on here? Is it based more on whether or not you like the person's blog and the person themselves, or do you end up following more from things like "Follow Me Friday", etc. If someone follows you, do you automatically follow them back? Will you make a habit of reading and commenting on someone's blog posts that you don't follow? 

I will randomly comment on people's blog posts that I just stumble across, but usually if I enjoy that post enough that I want to say something on it, I over-all enjoy that blog so I'll end up being a follower. :-)

I also try to make it a point to comment on a post if I read it in the first place. Not always but usually. I think everyone deserves comments on what they take the time to write. And if I respond or have a reaction in my head, I might as well share it with them! And since I like getting comments, I should certainly make a point of leaving them!

Speaking of which, I try to always respond to the comments left on my post, but I sure do wish it somehow notified you when the OP (original poster) also commented, then you'd know to go back and see what they said...or if someone else responded to what you said. I try to go back and check but it can be a pain! I mean, if someone asks a question in a comment and then that person answers it, you'd never know unless you went back and checked (and it's hard to keep up with what you said when and where and on what posts)! And this is coming from me who still has a fairly small-ish list that I follow and even fewer followers!

So I started asking about "following" and ended up writing a lot on commenting. Haha

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you took the time to let me know...I really am curious! 

Okay, I am starving so I'm gonna go get my grub on! I plan on pigging out on some salad! Yes, I can pig out on salad. A good salad is amazing and it sounds great right now! Not to mention Madelyn has been asking if it's lunch time for like an hour. Haha So, I guess I can finally justify fixing lunch since we made it to 11:45 (I just can't any earlier than 11:30). Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to lunch I go! Later, friends!

These two have my ♥ heart ♥

Rarely do they both want to cuddle at the same time. This made my night and I just had to share. Okay, continue on with your night :-)

Marriage Monday: The good stuff...

So, every year my hubs goes out of town for a few days for his job. That time may or may not be approaching, but I have to be honest...it's really not that bad. I truly believe that sometimes distance does make the heart grow fonder. I enjoy having the TV to myself at night after the girls are in bed. Not having to fix him something to eat every time his tummy rumbles. Going to bed when I want. NOT having to shave my legs every night!!! Lol That's a big one. BUT, I miss him. I think the space is good for us, but at the end of it we're always ready to see each other. 

So, I thought that today I'd list some of the thinks I like and love about the guy. It's always good to keep those in perspective, right? So here goes...

~ He's a funny boy. Seriously. I don't laugh at him as much as I should. One of the reasons I enjoyed spending time with him in the first place was because he made me laugh so much. Everyone gets a kick out of him.

~ He's a fun daddy. He'll rough house with the girls, watch them jump on the bed, takes them outside to play, goes on bike rides with us, coaches Emily's soccer team, colors with them, makes paper airplanes. Good things :-)

~ He's a daddy who helps mommy. Yup. He bathes the girls, gets them dressed, enforces good eating habits, wakes up with them on Saturdays (sometimes) so I can sleep in, practices writing letters and numbers, helps put them to bed at night, disciplines them and spoils them.

~ He likes talking. One of my favorite things is when we take trips, weather it's a 30 mins drive or an 18 hour drive (yes, we've done that before...with both girls), we talk...and I love it! 

~ He's generous. He is always helping other people. It's something that frustrates me at times but it's also a wonderful, Godly trait in him.

~ He's a good kisser.

~ He goes grocery shopping with me and the girls.

~ He takes me out to eat as often as he can.

~ He looks good in camo (good thing I like it 'cause he wears enough of it during hunting season!).

~ There are certainly more, but I don't have time to type them out right now.

Like I said, it's good to take time to look for and recognize the good qualities in your spouse. Even when you feel like there aren't many, or you're frustrated, or whatever...look for them! They'll still be there!

So that, my friends, is my post for the day. All positive :-) And now I'm gonna jump off of here because I have two coughing girls that may or may not be wiping the bathroom down with wet washcloths while in their panties. I need to go check this out. Lata!

Random Spin-Off Friday ~ Fall!

So I stared my morning with coffee and quiet...okay, it didn't actually start that way because I had to get Emily ready for school and that's never a quiet ordeal. But, her daddy took her today and Madelyn slept in (she has a cough and the sniffles, so she needed it)...and me? I got to enjoy some quiet time allll by myself. I had a little devotional and prayer time, got to sip my coffee in peace...I mean, what more could a momma ask for?

Anyway...(I had to pause in my writing to sing along with Choo Choo Soul on the Disney channel just now...isn't that sad? Lol)

One of the only blogs I followed, even when I wasn't blogging myself, was one of my dear real life best pal's. Y'all, this girl is hilarious...her photo captures are amazing, and her little hooligans are just too funny and adorable! She is definitely one worth following! Seriously, check her out. You can find her here: Bunch of Barrons

Well, today, she wrote about fall, and it got me thinking about it. Here's the thing. I am not a fan of cold weather! AT. ALL. I can stand a little coolness, but once it gets to the point where I am uncomfortable...I'm pretty much ready for summer to come back! Haha I'll take 100 degrees over anything under, oh...about 55, any day! However, there are a few things I enjoy about fall and I'd like to share them with you today. :-)

~ I do like those first crisp, cool days and nights...not cold, ya hear?! But cool.

~ I used to not be that into "fall fashion" but now I love me some cute boots, and I would like to be able to rock a cute scarf. I love skinny jeans, and if I can get rid of some of this yucky belly fat that likes to hang around my middle, I'd be okay with more cute tops in my closet.

~ I love seeing the colors change...driving through the mountains is especially beautiful during this time of year.

~ I love hearing the leaves crunch under my feet. And even though I love the heat, I'll admit that cool walks in the park, crunching leaves and not dripping in sweat...it's kinda peaceful.

~ I love the smells. Again, the leaves...the smell of smoke wafting from chimneys on those especially cool nights. Hot cider and pumpkin pie...I can almost smell them now.

~ Speaking of pumpkin pie, I LOVE the two holidays that fall in, well, fall! Halloween is so much fun! I always enjoy walking through neighborhoods, trick or treating with the girls, seeing all the cute kids in their costumes, and of course digging into that candy as soon as we get home! ;-) Then there's my most favorite...Thanksgiving! And I'll admit, though I love focusing on all of the things that I am thankful for in my life during that time...the food is what really gets me. Turkey (one roasted in the oven and one deep fried is how we roll), all the fixins', and those desserts that mostly seem to come around just that one time (maybe twice) a year. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, pumpkin cheesecake...and all those other goodies we come up with!

I guess that about covers my favorite things of fall. The sights, the smells, the sounds and the flavors...it's definitely got some good ones! So bring out the boots and scarves, because we are almost there!

Have a safe, blessed, and fun weekend! ♥♥♥

When drawing a blank...Google it! ~ Or ~ Schedule it!

Pick your own title, they both apply here. ;-)

Yeah, so I totally just typed into Google "blog post topics". Hahaha My mind is blank, I need to get to cleaning and laundry and I just wanted to get something up on here, though. So...I Googled it! I seriously Google everything. If I can't remember how to spell something, recipes, ideas, questions, etc. I ♥ Google. Okay, enough about that!

So I didn't really come up with anything from my search, but an idea did still come to me. :-) 

I have things, daily, that I want and need to do. I've tried this before and been temporarily successful, but I've been wondering if I write out a schedule if I would get more done. So, here I'm going to make a list of things that I want to do on a weekly or daily basis and then on my own will make a schedule later. I feel like maybe if I designate certain times to certain things I'll be more likely to get them done and then possibly be left with even more "free time" at the end of the day where I don't have things left to do or feel stressed about the things that were left undone. That was a long sentence. Oh, well! Okay, here goes it:

~ Scripture/prayer time (I pray daily, but would like to have a specific prayer list that I follow, maybe designate each day to certain topics).

~ Blogging time (and do better about having topics written down so that I'm never at a loss with what I can write about).

~ Cleaning (again, designate specific things to certain days but also just have a certain time each day that I spend cleaning and organizing).

~ Working out (I need to start up again, but have NOT been able to find the motivation for months. So sad and disappointing. Maybe start with 3 days a week.)

~ Teaching time with Madelyn (we need to work on numbers and letters and shapes, etc).

Those are really the main things right now that I want to focus on. I just want to feel less stressed about keeping up with it all and really feel accomplished at the end of each day.

So now tell me, how do you do it? How do you keep up with everything? Does it come easy and naturally to get it all done and be organized? Do you follow a schedule or just do things as you feel like it? I have heard and read hundreds of tips over the years and I still struggle with staying on top of everything. But I'm getting better, and will only continue to get better! 

Hope all my blogging buddies have an amazing and fulfilling day today!

Marriage Tuesday (since I missed out yesterday)...

A few of us couples from my church are doing a video series for marriage called Love & Respect. It's done by and based on the book by Dr Emerson Eggerichs. This is it:

I have the book and had actually read most of it before we started this so I was excited! I only got about 2/3 of the way through the book, though (for a couple reasons...one being that it felt very repetitive and also that it just wasn't a great time to immerse myself in a book at that time). I do want/need to re-read it now, though. The whole idea is based on Ephesians 5:22-33 but mostly on verse 33 which sums all those others up.

"However, each one of you also much love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

I know that there are people reading this who will laugh at the idea. I, however, think that even when you look at it outside of a Christian perspective it makes perfect sense. Men need and prefer respect over love. And although many women these days want respect, most, at a deeper lever and especially within a romantic relationship, want to be loved. Plain and simple.

Now what I'll be saying will be from a Christian perspective, since that is what I am and how I live my life.

Respect is something that I have a hard time with. I fully agree with the fact that my husband is the head of the house, and that major (and even when he puts his foot down, minor) decisions that he makes should be agreed to and done respectfully by me. For a long time my personal struggle was with the fact that I had a hard time respecting a man who didn't allow himself to be led by God. That my husband did not take on the responsibility as the spiritual head of our home. I can now joyfully say that that has changed! Prayer and patience are amazing things. :-) It's also REALLY hard for me to show respect when I think that I am right and he is wrong. But aren't most of us like that? I have done better at certain times in my marriage than others. It truly takes focus and dedication for me to do this. I have to make a conscious decision to do so and be in prayer daily about it.

It's amazing to me, though, how things work out. Dr Eggerichs talks a lot about what he calls "the crazy cycle".

Makes sense, right? Know what's awesome, though? Is THIS:

And what I have learned (yes, I KNOW this, I just don't find myself putting it into practice daily as I should) is that regardless of how "loving" he is towards me, the more respect I show him (which leads to fewer arguments), the more lovingly he treats me (and I don't think he even realizes it). I always say that if you wait on the other to treat you the way you think you deserve to be treated first, then you both may be left waiting forever. So take the initiative, and BE the change! This is what I tell myself, I'm not telling you necessarily. ;-)

I am a stubborn, ugly attitude, not so nice person towards my husband sometimes. But I love him and our family and want us to have the AMAZING relationship that I know God designed for us. So, I (along with my sister, who is going to help hold me accountable and I her) are going to work and pray towards being the wives that God commands and expects us to be so that our marriages can be more fully blessed. I know that by putting a conscious effort towards this, nothing but good can come of it.

I could probably go on and on, but that's what I'll say for today. Love and thanks to you all for keeping up with me! And feel free to comment and let me know if anything I say hits home with you, or if you disagree with something, or if something I say is offensive, or you just want to say hi! I LOVE comments and always try to reply back!

Hush Hush

Well, I'm a bit disappointed. I thought that this blogging thing was going to be able to be an outlet for me. I'm such an open and honest person in real life. I don't really believe in putting up a fake facade although I am appropriate. But, it seems I'm going to have to censor what I say in here a little more. :-( I am blunt and sometimes say things that others in "my world" wouldn't. Haha One of the things that I actually like about myself. Actually, I guess in "real life" I'm not so much like that, but it's one reason I love (and always have) being able to write this way. Sharing my life and my thoughts and ideas...I don't have much to hide. I think that when things are taken as a whole and in context what I have to say is beneficial to others and  makes sense. Anyway, I guess though that I will just reign it in a little bit. And shoot...I haven't even gotten into religion or politics! Ha Yeah...I'll probably be staying away from both of those for the most part.